Welcome to the February issue of Wholesale Manager. JJ Foodservice has pledged to cut its environmental footprint in 2022 by moving its total computing infrastructure to the cloud. By shifting to cloud-computing, the business will rely less on hardware and physical machines. The result is a reduction in energy use and environmental impact.
FareShare, the UK’s biggest food redistribution charity, has launched FareFutures, a new initiative which gives jobseekers the chance to gain industry-recognised qualifications and valuable work experience at FareShare food warehouses across the UK. The new initiative will see FareShare work regionally and nationally to deliver projects that support people into sustained and meaningful employment. FareFutures’ projects will be tailored to meet local priorities but share the same key principles; a focus on participants’ wellbeing, supporting FareShare’s mission and building stronger partnerships.
Pilgrim’s Food Masters, owner of some of the UK’s best-loved brands including Richmond and Fridge Raiders, is forecasting strong growth for the plant-based category, expecting it to be worth £998m by 2026 – a staggering 74% increase over the next four years. Despite the explosion of growth of the plant-based category over the last few years, currently worth £572 million, Pilgrim’s Food Masters is forecasting robust momentum. The category is predominantly being driven by flexitarians: 43.7% of UK shoppers consider themselves to be following a flexitarian diet compared to 2% following a vegan diet and 5.2% a vegetarian diet.
One consequence of the pandemic has been demonstrating the crucial role independent retailers play in keeping consumers supplied with their everyday essentials. This places an onus on wholesalers to educate suppliers on the importance of the independent retail channel within the food supply chain. Mike Hollis, Retail Director at Bestway, tells our Who’s Who in Wholesaling page what are the biggest developments in wholesale right now and his plans to grow the business this year.
With plant based products representing a huge current trend, Seara UK is gearing up to launch its own plant based range. However, with many households facing an uncertain economic future, the company believes there will always be a market for chicken as it is affordable, healthy and convenient. In a Supplier Spotlight interview, Alexandre Mattos – Commercial Director Seara UK, tells Wholesale Manager how the company works with wholesalers to improve sales and passes on his advice for merchandising meat and poultry in depot.
Enjoy reading the issue.
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