Fine wine distributor Bibendum shifts onto Kaddy Marketplace

Kaddy has partnered with Australian wine and spirit distributor, Bibendum Wine Co (Bibendum), updating a relationship that was formed with Winedepot (now part of Kaddy Marketplace).

The partnership offers great exposure for Kaddy to thousands of trade buyers and Kaddy this to translate into new buyers, increased purchase frequency and purchase size, and to accelerate the growth of the business.

Bibendum will list a substantial part of its portfolio on Kaddy Marketplace, introducing its customers to the platform and inviting them to join Kaddy via a referral program that includes an incentive voucher.

Bibendum will be entitled to reduced platform fees and will receive 20 million DW8 shares (worth $400K on Friday) once a number of sales and marketing milestones have been successfully completed, including generating $600K sales.

DW8 (owners of Kaddy) and Bibendum entered into partnership in March 2021 when Winedepot Market (the trading name of DW8) had only about 800 products available, mostly wines. Today, Kaddy Marketplace has an offering almost 20 times the size.

Head of Commercial at Kaddy, Richard Coombes said: "The Winedepot Market platform also lacked trade-specific functionality. In short, the experience for buyers was okay, but nowhere near what it could be using the Kaddy platform."

Since March 2021, DW8 has acquired Kaddy, Winedepot has become a part of the Kaddy Marketplace and 'Winedepot' will be fully retired by the end of the month.

Bibendum was established by Robert Walters in 2004 and is one of Australia's most successful fine wine distribution businesses. Its focus is on the importation and distribution of brands from Australia, New Zealand, Europe and South Africa. It also stocks craft spirits from the United Kingdom, Japan, USA and Europe.

Michael Gray from Bibendum explains, “We’re always looking for new ways to enhance the service we provide our customers and the representation we offer to the producers we’re fortunate to represent.

"Kaddy’s service focus, deployment of user-friendly technology and ambition make working together a natural fit, and we look forward to continuing to grow the range available on Kaddy Marketplace over time.”

Kaddy Marketplace also offers a wide scope of functionality, incorporating features such as pricing templates to manage trade discounts and volume deals, freight pricing tools, and the ability to connect and communicate with sales representatives from their usual suppliers in platform.

Mr Gray sees this as an opportunity to enhance service and convenience for Bibendum’s wholesale customers.

“The Kaddy Marketplace allows customers to research and procure the products they need across supplier portfolios and product categories with flexible payment options. As the wholesale and logistics environment becomes more complex and fragmented, the convenience this provides our customers can be a game-changer.”