Every UK business that buys alcohol to resell has to check its wholesaler is approved by HMRC. The check takes about a minute, and skipping it can cost you your alcohol licence.
This page explains what the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme is, who it applies to, and what it means in practice when you are choosing a supplier. If you already know the background and just want to run the check, go straight to how to check an AWRS number.
What is the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme?
The Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS) is an HMRC approval scheme for businesses that sell alcohol to other businesses. Any wholesaler trading in alcohol at or after the duty point must be approved by HMRC and hold a Unique Reference Number.
HMRC introduced it to squeeze illicit alcohol out of the supply chain. Duty fraud was costing the exchequer heavily, and the scheme works by making every legitimate link in the chain identifiable — and every illegitimate one obvious. According to HMRC’s own scheme manual, approved wholesalers must meet “fit and proper” criteria, keep proper records, and run due diligence on their own suppliers.
Who needs to be AWRS registered?
Any business selling alcohol to another business for resale needs AWRS approval. That covers wholesalers, distributors, importers, brokers and cash-and-carry operators — anyone selling alcohol at or after the point duty becomes payable.
You do not need approval to sell alcohol only to the public. A shop, pub or restaurant selling to consumers is covered by its premises licence instead. The distinction is who you sell to, not what you sell: the moment you sell to a business that will resell it, you are wholesaling.
What does AWRS mean for retailers buying stock?
If you buy alcohol to resell, you must verify that your supplier holds current AWRS approval before you buy. This obligation sits on you as the buyer, not only on the wholesaler.
The Association of Convenience Stores sets out the consequence plainly: buy from an unapproved wholesaler and you may face a criminal or civil penalty, your alcohol may be seized, or you could lose your alcohol licence. Losing the licence is the one that ends businesses — a convenience store that cannot sell alcohol is usually not viable.
What is an AWRS URN and what does it look like?
A URN is the Unique Reference Number HMRC issues to an approved wholesaler. It is four letters followed by eleven digits, in the form XXAW00000123456.
A legitimate wholesaler will give you their URN without hesitation, and most publish it openly. Ours is XZAW00000111737, held by Empire Drinks Ltd, company number 11475056. If a supplier is reluctant to share theirs, treat that as the answer to your question.
How do I know a supplier’s AWRS approval is genuine?
Run the URN through HMRC’s online lookup service and keep a record of the result. A number on a website is a claim; the lookup is the verification.
We have written a step-by-step walkthrough of the process, including what to do when a supplier fails the check: how to check an AWRS number.
What records should I keep?
Keep evidence that you ran the check, for roughly five years. The ACS guidance recommends retaining lookup records for a similar period to your tax returns.
In practice that means printing or saving the lookup result page for each supplier, dated, and filing it with your purchase records. If HMRC ever asks how you satisfied yourself that a supplier was approved, that file is your answer.
AWRS at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who must register? | Businesses selling alcohol to other businesses for resale |
| Who must check? | Any business buying alcohol to resell |
| URN format | Four letters, eleven digits (XXAW00000123456) |
| How to verify | HMRC online lookup service |
| Records to keep | Dated lookup results, around five years |
| Penalty for not checking | Criminal or civil penalty, stock seizure, loss of alcohol licence |
Buying from Drinks Empire Company
We are an AWRS-approved UK wholesaler supplying beer, spirits, wine, soft drinks, confectionery and household FMCG to trade buyers in the UK and for export. Our URN is XZAW00000111737 and you are welcome to verify it before you order — we would rather you did.
Browse wholesale spirits, wholesale beer or wholesale wine, or request a trade quote with the products and quantities you need.