Sugro UK is a unique buying and marketing co-operative of over 90 independent wholesale members with full nationwide coverage.
Yulia Petitt, Head of Commercial and Marketing at Sugro UK spoke to Wholesale Manager.
How many members do you have and what is their combined turnover?
We are member owned, with just over 90 wholesalers, who reach the length and breadth of the UK, with a combined turnover of over £2.5bn.
Has the membership grown over the last year?
We have recruited 20 new members over the last 12 months.
What benefits do you offer members?
We are extremely passionate about our digital offering. At Sugro, we are committed to working with both members and suppliers on delivering e-commerce solutions that will give the group the opportunity to further enhance its digital offering. This has been a key focus for Sugro over recent years, and is something we feel we are leading on as a buying group. Alongside the bespoke member website development provision, we have direct ordering facilities as well as a Sugro all-in-one B2B e-commerce platform with an e-loyalty scheme, WhatsApp for Business API, Split Testing and more. We have recently launched the first in the industry E-Presell solution via WhatsApp for Business API which enables both Sugro UK Wholesale Members as well as its Retail Partners to provide advance product volume commitments for new product launches. This functionality is particularly powerful as it ensures that suppliers have accurate forecasts before product launches, enabling better stock availability and distribution from day one of products being available on the market. We also have our SIS Data Platform in partnership with TWC, with the system functionality going from strength to strength.
What makes your group unique?
The group’s unique selling point and focus remains to be member-centric with a very strong sense of community among Sugro wholesalers. We are quite often called the Sugro family and our members certainly feel that way. That encompasses really understanding our members, understanding what they need, trying to get to the core of their businesses and ensuring any initiatives we have match their needs. Our members genuinely look out for one another as well which is quite unique as a group. The team makes a huge effort in fully understanding the individual needs of each wholesaler and works in partnership with suppliers to address these needs.
What kind of promotional offers do you have?
Sugro negotiates pricing, promotions and terms agreements with suppliers, on behalf of its members. We produce promotional leaflets, share category advice and NPD on behalf of the suppliers, thus taking that workload away from the Wholesaler and providing streamlined communication to the membership. We have 17 promotional periods per year. The promotional types differ by type of offering and who these offers are aimed at. By joining the group, you have that support and expertise from Head Office. We also work on behalf of our members, to understand government legislation, such as HFSS and the impact to them.
Do you provide advice and guidance for wholesalers about their core range and NPD?
We have our Drive Your Sales digital magazine and online portal. Drive Your Sales has been developed with a view to increase awareness amongst Retailers as well as provide guidance and educational support on ways to maximise profit and revenue by learning about changes in consumer behaviour during key periods and how these behavioural trends can be accommodated to raise revenue for both Retailers and Wholesalers. The Drive Your Sales (DYS) portal has been launched in conjunction with the digital magazine to provide retailers with educational support such as planograms, category advice, new products and top sellers by category. The portal aims to raise awareness on how to maximise profit and revenue by analysing changes in consumer behaviour during key seasonal periods.
We have also partnered with Lumina Intelligence. Through this partnership, Sugro Group has gained valuable access to exclusive reports and strategic insights, detailing latest development within the sectors, including key trends, consumer behaviours and opportunities for growth that are essential to staying competitive in the fast-evolving convenience and food-to-go markets.
Do you run events for members?
We have an excellent events calendar, with two trade shows each year, one in the Spring and one in the Autumn. This is a great opportunity for suppliers and members to join together to discuss business plans. We have speakers from the industry to support the events, and include participation from suppliers and members. We have our summer event on the back of the incentive that we run in January and February. We host an annual Business Convention, which is something we are quite famous for. Whilst the backdrops of these events are in stunning locations – Argentina, Dubai, Nepal, Chile to name but a few, these are very much business focused. Suppliers support the event by offering growth incentives for members.
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