Welcome to the Spring 2012 Wholesale Manager. It’s spring – the sun’s out, and the hardier souls among us are out barbecuing. Having slogged grimly through the last three months, as the weather warms the second quarter promises to be more relaxed. Which in turn should translate into increased sales for cash ‘n’ carries and delivered wholesalers. That’s the theory, anyway.
In this issue you’ll find a host of stories from the industry and news from suppliers to help improve your performance, plus our latest update on the Warehouse, the engine room driving every cash ‘n’ carry and delivered wholesale business. As our stories show, there’s no shortage of equipment and solutions available to help get the best possible performance in this crucial part of your operation.
As we move into spring, it’s not just the brighter weather that makes consumers want to celebrate. In the next three months there are no less than five Bank Holidays – great news for Britain’s independent retailers, pubs and restaurants, and the wholesalers and cash ‘n’ carries that serve them. April is a glorious month, with the Easter break running from Friday 6th April to Monday 9th April. Then there’s the May Bank Holiday on Monday May 7th, and in June the Spring Bank Holiday on Monday 4th, and the Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday on Monday 5th.
It’s always good news when major suppliers do their bit to develop a category, and help retailers and wholesalers to profit in the process. As we report in this issue, Kepak Convenience Foods, the company behind Rustlers and Zug’s Deli Café, are doing their bit to hot up business in the convenience sector and in the process double their £105m microwavable snacking business by 2017. Their strategy involves working even more closely with c-stores and independent retailers and the delivered wholesalers and cash ‘n’ carries serving them.
Central to Kepak’s plans is their new category definition ‘Quick and Tasty Snacks and Meals, covering single serve chilled snacks and meals eaten hot, on the go or in the home. In trials, c-stores who worked with Kepak on defining their store profile and listing the best selling lines increased their chilled snacking product sales by an average 30%. Traditionally the wholesale sector has lagged behind the supermarkets in their commitment to chilled, but expect that to change this spring and beyond, as Kepak work with wholesalers’ depots to improve their range stocking and engage with their retail customers to achieve similar increases nationwide.
James Surridge,
Publishing Editor,
Wholesale Manager
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