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The audit-ready distribution partner for UK national and managed retail.
Continuity, governance, and compliance at national scale — before, during, and after the October 2026 duty transition.
01
Audit readiness
Every unit traced back to manufacture, import, and stamping
inside sixty minutes. Documentation ready before it's asked for.
02
Supply continuity
A bonded facility built for duty suspension. We hold the stock
so you don't absorb duty cost on day one of October 2026.
03
Governance-grade reporting
Service levels, audit logs, compliance evidence, and category
data — in the cadence your procurement team already works to.
04
Category discipline
A structured approach to range, price ladder, and portfolio mix
— built for the post-duty market, not the old disposable shelf.
HMRC
UK Duty Representative
1M sq ft
Bonded facility
99%
30-day fill rate
VDS
Automated stamping + audit trail
The procurement question is changing.
For most of the last decade, the distributor conversation was a commercial one: trade terms, brand access, delivery windows. From October 2026, a second conversation sits above it — one about operational risk.
Digital Duty Stamps require a documented chain of custody from manufacture to shelf. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill tightens the rules around display, packaging, and advertising. HMRC now has the tooling to trace any unit back through the supply chain, by stamp, in minutes.
In that environment, your distributor is no longer supplying product alone. They are supplying a piece of your own compliance position.
What audit-ready actually looks like.
We can answer five specific questions in real time, with documentation, for any unit we supply:
- Who manufactured it, when, and under what approvals.
- How it entered the UK, through which duty representative, under which paperwork.
- When it arrived with us, and whether duty was suspended or paid at that point.
- The full scan trail from stamp application to outbound shipment.
- Which of your stores received it, on which invoice, at which shelf location.
Continuity through the duty transition.
The October 2026 duty changes the economics of every nicotine delivery. Distributors without bonded capability will be forced to pass duty costs through on day one.
Our bonded capacity gives us — and you — a buffer. We can hold stock under duty suspension, release it in line with your volume, and offer price-lock contracts for eligible national accounts that stabilise pricing through the transition window.
Ask your current supplier three questions before Q4 2026:
- Are you an HMRC-approved UK Duty Representative?
- Can you hold stock in bonded suspension ahead of October?
- What happens if a priority brand loses UK stamping rights?
Case study
National retail group — category continuity through 2026
A major UK retail group faced a category decision heading into the 2026 transition: consolidate with a generalist wholesaler or work with a specialist that could evidence audit-readiness end-to-end.
Working with VB Distribution, the group secured a 12-month price-lock on priority SKUs, automated VDS audit reporting into their compliance system, and reduced range complexity by 22% while protecting category margin.
Download the full case study →How we work with national accounts
1
Category review
Joint review of your current range, service, and audit
position. No pitch deck.
2
Structured proposal
Continuity commitments, service levels, compliance evidence,
and commercial terms — written in the governance language your
procurement team uses.
3
Integration
ERP integration, audit-log access, and compliance reporting
set up before the first delivery.
4
Ongoing governance
Quarterly category and service reviews. Named account
leadership. Live service metrics on demand.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can you respond to an HMRC or Trading Standards
enquiry?
Scan-trail responses generated in-portal within minutes. Formal
documentation packs turned around inside one working day.
Can we see evidence of your duty representative status?
Yes. Full documentation provided as part of the National
Accounts proof pack and updated when renewed.
Do you offer price-lock arrangements through the 2026 duty
transition?
Yes, for eligible accounts. Terms are bonded-capacity-dependent
and negotiated as part of the category review.
Who owns our account?
A named senior account lead supported by a dedicated compliance
contact and a service manager. Escalation paths documented at
onboarding.
How do you handle brand continuity if a supplier loses UK
stamping rights?
As a UK Duty Representative we hold stamping rights directly for
our priority brands. For other brands, we maintain a documented
continuity plan per line, reviewed quarterly.
Ready for a governance-grade supply conversation?
Book a category review with our National Accounts team. We'll walk through your current range, your audit position, and what continuity looks like on the other side of October 2026.
Guide
The October 2026 Duty Transition Guide
Download →
Blog
The new supplier scorecard — five questions national buyers are
now asking
Read →
Case study
National grocery continuity through the 2026 transition
Download →
Page
Credentials and approvals
Visit →