Scottish Wholesale Food and Drink Resilience Fund
Post Author:
Anne Melville
Date Posted:
February 4, 2022
Share This:
Categories:
The Scottish Wholesale Food and Drink Resilience Fund will provide grants to Scottish food and drink wholesalers who have been negatively affected by the public health restrictions imposed on the hospitality and on-trade sectors to control COVID-19.
Discretionary grants will be available to food and drink wholesalers impacted by either or both of the following:
- the public health restrictions imposed on hospitality and on-trade during the period from the start of January 2021 to the end of August 2021
- the emergence of the Omicron variant and related public health restrictions on hospitality and the on-trade market that were introduced in December 2021 and continued in January 2022
Businesses may apply for either or both parts of the fund – £10m is available for part a of the fund and £5m is available for part b of the fund.
Is my business eligible?
Businesses which fit all of the following criteria will be eligible to apply for both or either time periods outlined in part a and part b of the fund.
The business must:
- be exclusively or mainly wholesale – equating to 80% or more of business turnover (if other activities not deemed food and drink wholesale make up more than 20% of a business, they will not be eligible for this fund)
- be based in Scotland
- be classed as small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) as defined in the EU recommendation 2003/361 – meaning they employ fewer than 250 people and have an annual turnover not exceeding €50 million euros and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding €43 million euros
- have seen a fall in sales of 20% or more in the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 August 2021 compared with the same period pre-pandemic (1 January 2019 to 31 August 2019) or have seen a fall of 20% or more in the period 1 December 2021 to 31 January 2022 compared with the same period pre-pandemic (1 December 2019 to 31 January 2020)
- have experienced or be experiencing hardship evidenced by a shortfall in the ability to cover fixed costs as a result of the fall in sales for either or both of the time periods outlined above
Where an applicant does not meet the definition of an SME, and where funding allows they may still be able to receive a discretionary payment if they satisfy the following conditions:
- they meet the definition of a wholesaler
- the relief relates to uncovered fixed costs (costs not covered by profits, insurance or similar sources) during the time periods outlined above
- have shown a decline in turnover during the eligible periods of at least 30% compared to the same periods starting in 2019
How do I apply?
You will need to read the detailed application guidance and download and complete an application form:
There are then three stages to the application process:
Stage 1: receipt of application
After submitting your application, you will receive a response confirming receipt.
Stage 2: eligibility checking and assessments
Following closure of the fund to applications, all applications will be assessed against the fund criteria by an assessment panel made up of Scottish Government staff and industry experts.
Stage 3: after the assessment process is complete
The Scottish Government will let you know by email if you have been awarded funding or not.
If you have been successful, this email will outline the next steps. If you have been unsuccessful, you will be advised of the reasons for this.
The deadline to apply is 11:59pm on 13 February 2022.
The information in this blog provides only an overview of Scottish Government guidance and legislation in force at the date of publication and no action should be taken without consulting the detailed Scottish Government guidance and legislation or seeking professional advice. Therefore no responsibility for loss occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of the material contained in this blog can be accepted by the firm.
Photo by Alexandr Podvalny on Unsplash
