Welcome to the July issue of Wholesale Manager. Sysco GB has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to formally support campaigns to reduce VAT for hospitality businesses from 20% to 10%, #VATsTheProblem, and to reject the proposed visitor levy in England, backed by UK Hospitality (UKH). In the open letter, Sysco outlines the significant cost pressures facing hospitality operators, including rising labour costs, energy prices, business rates and wider operating expenses, and highlights the impact these challenges have on businesses of all sizes.
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The Wholesale Group has become the first wholesale buying group to achieve B Corp Certification, reinforcing its commitment to responsible business and creating long-term positive impact for its members, suppliers, colleagues, communities and the wider wholesale sector. Awarded by B Lab following a rigorous assessment, B Corp Certification recognises businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. It reflects an organisation’s commitment to balancing purpose with profit and to operating responsibly for the benefit of all stakeholders.
Parfetts has reported a strong uplift in sales as the combination of World Cup football and record-breaking temperatures drove higher demand across key summer categories. Over the week 20 to 27 June, the employee-owned wholesaler saw soft drinks sales rise by 40% against the same week last year, as shoppers stocked up during the hot weather. Confectionery, snacks and nuts also performed strongly, rising 35%.
Customers from every corner of Wales and beyond attended Castell Howell’s series of trade shows held at three different locations. As one of Wales’ largest companies, the Caterforce member has built its reputation on reliability, scale and trust, while the trade shows highlighted how the company’s strength lies equally in its people and partnerships as in its logistics capability. Haydn Pugh, Sales and Marketing Director, Castell Howell Foods, tells Wholesale Manager how he is a product of his environment and how the company’s foundation is that they are family, not corporate.
The trade in illegal vapes provides a high-profit cash market for serious organised crime in the UK, enabling drug trafficking, human trafficking, modern slavery and money laundering, alongside the exploitation of children and vulnerable adults. Likewise, raid intelligence shows that shops selling illegal vapes often serve as distribution points for other illicit goods, including cannabis, heroin, weapons, and counterfeit technology. Tolga Kilic, BAT Commercial Director, UK and Ireland, tells Wholesale Manager the size of the UK illegal vapes trade and what BAT is doing to combat illicit nicotine sales.
Set against a growth forecast projecting the market to reach £56.2 billion by 2030, convenience retailers face a period marked by both opportunities and headwinds. In its latest report, IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution) identifies five key trends driving structural change and retailer responses in the channel in 2026. Patrick Mitchell-Fox, Insight Partner at IGD, shares the five trends with Wholesale Manager.
Enjoy reading the issue.
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