Welcome to the October issue of Wholesale Manager. Employee-owned wholesaler Parfetts is awarding colleagues a 10% profit share bonus to recognise their contribution to the continued growth of the business. The move follows Parfetts’ announcement that sales topped £634m in the last year. The wholesaler has grown rapidly, expanding its Go Local fascia to over 1,100 stores and opening a new depot in Birmingham.
Unitas Wholesale is deeply saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Mr. Mohammed Ramzan, Chairman of United Wholesale Grocers Limited. John Kinney Unitas MD said: “Mr Ramzan has been instrumental in the growth of United Wholesale Grocers. He will be sadly missed, and we would like to pass on our deepest condolences to the Ramzan family and all their colleagues.”
Frozen food distributor Central Foods has switched to using renewable energy as part of its commitment to sustainability. The company, which is based at Collingtree near Northampton and operates nationally, has made the move to use 100% green energy from Scottish Power. The energy used will be from renewable sources in the UK that do not harm the environment and is backed by green energy certificates known as Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGOs).
Food and drink wholesaler JW Filshill, one of Scotland’s oldest independent food and drink wholesalers, saw turnover increase to £203 million – up 2% from £199 million – in the year ending January 31, 2023. Filshill, which relocated from Hillington to new purpose-built premises at Westway Park near Glasgow Airport in March, recorded gross profit of £19.4 million, up from £17 million, while net assets increased to £18.9 million compared to £17.1 million the previous year. Simon Hannah, Filshill’s chief executive officer, tells our Who’s Who in Wholesaling page what benefits the company’s new distribution centre will bring to the business and how wholesalers will respond to the cost-of-living crisis.
Birchall Foodservice is a wholesale food supplier built on strong family values for over 80 years. The fifth generation family business has quality products and supreme customer service at the forefront of its offering. Louise Birchall, Director, Birchall Foodservice, tells our Focus on Foodservice page what the last year’s trading has been like and what the company is doing to reduce its environmental impact.
Impulse categories are currently driving the growth in the independent convenience sector, according to TWC’s SmartView Convenience report. This includes confectionery, which is +13.6% YOY on a 52 w/e basis (to 13 August 2023). Confectionery is in volume growth too (+2.7%), our confectionery feature reports.
Enjoy reading the issue.
George Simpson
Group Editor
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