Representing over 200 suppliers, Confex has over 50 years’ experience as a wholesale buying group.
Tom Gittins, Managing Director at Confex spoke to Wholesale Manager.
How many members do you have and what is their combined turnover?
224 wholesale members across the UK with a combined turnover of 2.61bn (as of 13.04.22).
How many members do you have and what is their combined turnover?
226 Wholesale Members spanning the UK with a combined turnover £3.12bn
What benefits do you offer members?
Confex does not operate any joining or membership fees and every member receives a share of our profits.
We welcome new membership enquiries and can offer terms, pricing & promotions from over 200 top brand suppliers spanning retail, foodservice, ambient, chilled, frozen and non-food product ranges. Confex is in its 51st year having shown continual growth throughout our history. We offer members a point of difference with our multi-award-winning CORE Own brand.
Confex offers many services to members with dedicated business development managers to help members grow your business. Whether it be marketing support, local supplier support or advice on supply issues Confex offers a personalised service with someone at the end of a phone to continually support your business. If you are a wholesaler who is not yet in a buying group or not happy with the service you are receiving from your existing buying group, reach out to Confex and see what we can offer. We are confident we will add value to your business!
What have you done to grow your membership?
We have accepted 12 new members in the last year which has helped us to surpass the £3bn Group turnover for the first time. We remain open to welcoming like-minded, forward thinking independent wholesalers. We encourage sharing of best practice and inter-trading to ensure members can remain ahead of the game and continue to punch above their weight.
Do you have an own brand range? How many products are in the range? Do you have any new extensions to the range at the moment?
CORE has over 300 products across ambient, chilled and frozen with range extensions in the pipeline which will add 100 more products by the end of 2023. Every product has been approved by our trading committee for quality which is why we have won 9 awards in the last two years alone.
Do you run promotions? What kind of promotional offers do you have?
We run thousands of promotions during any given year covering all product categories. Confex run 15 different promotional periods with deeper exclusive promotions covering seasonal events, our trade show and conference.
Do you run events for members?
In 2023 we will be running our main trade show in March which takes place in the Cotswolds. Our Foodservice Fair takes place in Stratford-on-Avon in September with our conference in Lanzarote taking place in October. All events are free to members, and we encourage as many member employees to attend in order to ensure that your business is maximising the opportunities that Confex membership provides.
What news do you have to share with us?
Confex remains the fastest growing Buying Group offering Industry leading support across all categories with all the major brands. Confex offers this service without any annual membership fees which helps our members to keep growing year in year out. Our CORE Own brand is forecast to grow 300% in the next three years, providing members with a unique offering suitable for a wide range of end users. Other current projects include a commitment to data insight with no set up costs for members, a Direct to Consumer Marketplace launching this Spring plus the addition of a head office online resource to help members increase their social media presence. Following the success of our trading committee ‘Teams’ meetings these are being expanded to include quarterly in person meetings at member depots in order to strengthen links and best practice sharing among Confex members. We never stand still at Confex and remain 100% committed to developing as a Group and helping our members to achieve their business aims!
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