Hoverspeed is planning to increase its cross-Channel wine trade business with the launch of a home delivery service for wine bought at its two stores in Ostend and Calais. There are fears this will accelerate the trade in duty paid wines and spirits from France as the carriers seek to fill the gap left when European duty free ended last summer. "The end of European duty free could have the effect of driving cross border trading higher," said Wine and Spirit Association director general Quentin Rappoport. "The focus by the ferries on French duty paid rates makes them a powerful new group of retailers. They can demonstrate that customers can save a lot of money on both wines and spirits." He suggested this could be a bigger problem for traders outside the south east as shoppers will no longer have to move bulky purchases long distances. Landmark's drinks category manager Kevin Thistlethwaite said: "This is a blow to the UK drinks trade and another nail in the coffin of the independent operator." Foot passengers paying as little as £5 for a return fare can buy unlimited quantities of wine ­ provided it is for their own personal use and have it delivered to their door within 72 hours. To comply with the law they have to make the purchases in person and physically move them across the Channel, with the help of Hoverspeed, through Customs to a special check-in in Folkestone. The company has employed a third party courier to move the goods to the specific UK addresses from there. The service will cut out the cost of a car return fare (£55). The duty saving on a bottle of wine bought in France is £1.03. To launch the service delivery charges have been discounted by 50% and start from £10 for four cases. The cheapest wine on the list is a Côte d'Or which retails at £10.89 a case, the most expensive id a Chateaux Margaux at £230.45. {{NEWS }}

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