SPOTLIGHT: TOM SLAVEN, UNITED WHOLESALE GROCERS
One of Europe’s leading world food distributors marks 60th anniversary
GIVES YOU WIIINGS.
ALSO WITH THE TASTE OF FOREST FRUITS.
The Wadhwani family reflect on the challenges of initially establishing Wanis International Foods and its subsequent growth to become a £140 million-plus turnover business in its 60th year.
Lomond – The Wholesale Food Co and Brakes highlight their offerings for the festive season.
Spotlight
Tom Slaven, retail director of United Wholesale Grocers and president of the Scottish Wholesale Association.
Bill Lattimore of KP
emphasises the importance of the
sale channel to
Tom Slaven of United Wholesale Grocers with one of the boxers he trains who had just won the Scottish Flyweight Golden Gloves title.
Mark Aylwin decides to step down as Unitas chairman.
Thomas Ridley
Country Range adds Chef’s Chunky Fries to Signature label.
Blakemore names Ian Kellett as CFO
AF Blakemore has appointed Ian Kellett as chief financial officer (CFO). He replaces Scott Munro-Morris, group finance & IT director, who decided to leave the business to pursue opportunities closer to his home in South Wales.
Kellett (pictured) moves to AF Blakemore from Parkdean Resorts, where he was CFO for six years. Before that, he spent 10 years as CFO at Pets at Home, and he has also worked at Staples UK and JD Wetherspoon.
Kellett joins the AF Blakemore board and will be responsible for finance, property, IT and procurement.
AF Blakemore’s CEO Carol Welch said: “Ian brings a wealth of leadership and
financial expertise, with a strong track record in business transformation, financial rigour, talent development and strategic planning, and will be instrumental as we continue to pursue our longterm growth objectives.”
Kellett commented: “I am delighted to join AF Blakemore as CFO to help build a better future at a very
Healthy discount
JJ Foodservice has teamed up with Hertfordshire County Council to provide discounted healthier and more sustainable catering options to local restaurants and caterers. This partnership supports the council’s new Herts Responsible Food Award (HRFA).
JJ Foodservice is offering a 10% discount on the first three orders to new customers or those who haven’t
shopped with the wholesaler in the last 12 months.
The discount applies to a range of products, including polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat or oil products; products without trans fatty acids; reduced sugar and salt content products; ecofriendly packaging; responsibly caught fish; free-range or organic eggs; and glutenfree, vegetarian and vegan options.
Baris Kacar, chief sales officer of JJ Foodservice, said: “This initiative aligns with our commitment to sustainability and to have a positive impact on people, communities and the environment that we work in.”
In other news, JJ has announced that its annual supplier conference will take place on 20 September at 30 Euston Square in London.
exciting time for the company. With a team united by a passion for customers, great food and excellent service – backed by over six thousand colleagues and long-standing independent retailer and supplier relationships – AF Blakemore is well placed to deliver on its growth aspirations.”
In other news, staff members at AF Blakemore have chosen the UK’s leading endof-life charity Marie Curie to be the official charity partner across the whole business for the first time.
AF Blakemore owns 248 SPAR stores and is the largest SPAR wholesaler in England and Wales.
The new company-wide partnership aims to raise £250,000 throughout its
SPAR retail stores, logistics warehouses, Philpotts stores and head office support services team.
Colleagues across the business will take on various fundraising activities including Marie Curie’s ‘Scare To Show You Care’ event in October and a SPARkle Christmas campaign.
Elite promotion
Elite Fine Foods, which was acquired by Bidfood in 2019 and is now part of Caterfood Buying Group, has promoted Richard Groves to head of operations.
A former warehouse manager, Groves joined the wholesaler in 2022. In recent months he has passed the Transport Manager CPC course, the Level 3 Award in Food Safety for Manufacturing, the Level 3 Award in Effective Auditing & Inspection, and the Caterfood Buying Group Line Manager Development Programme.
Before moving to Elite Fine Foods, he was airport security officer at Gatwick Airport for more than seven years, a role he took on after more than seven years as a crew manager at Kent Fire & Rescue Service.
Based in Newhaven in East Sussex, Elite Fine Foods operates a next-day service, six days a week, delivering to more than 2,000 foodservice customers.
Richard Groves (left) with Caterfood Buying Group MD Phil Atyeo.
Harlech opens Telford depot
Harlech Foodservice has opened a new depot in Telford as it expands into the West Midlands – an area it has identified as ripe for growth.
North-Wales-based haulier Farrall’s owns the Shropshire site, and its managing director Matt Farrall offered Harlech’s MD David Cattrall the spare capacity.
There is scope for the two firms to work together, with Farrall’s lorries able to deliver Harlech consignments to customers if routes coincide, so the arrangement is more than just a straightforward rental of a site.
The Telford opening is part of a £6 million plan by Harlech to create 150 new jobs. This has been fired by
the company’s growth over the past three years which has seen sales increase from £32 million to £50 million and profits of over £2 million.
Ian Evans, Harlech’s head of operations, said: “Initially we will employ five drivers there along with another driver here in Criccieth.
“Both businesses [Harlech and Farrall’s] are expanding and have ambitions to grow in the same areas so it makes sense to work together.”
Harlech operates from Criccieth, Chester, Merthyr Tydfil and now Carmarthen with the recent acquisition of Celtic Foodservices.
Premium
Country Range Group’s premium Signature collection has been strengthened with frozen Chef’s Chunky Fries.
Signature by Country Range Triple Cooked Chef’s Chunky Fries come in 4 x 2.27kg bags.
The fries are coated in an extra crispy batter coating and triple-cooked with the aim of offering a crunch that holds for at least 40 minutes. They are made solely from Fontane potatoes to ensure consistency.
Country Range has also added Premium Blend Tea Bags to its Signature range.
Sourced from Rainforest Alliance gardens in Africa, the tea comes in 2.25kg 100% recyclable packs containing 1,100 single-use bags.
New recruit for Unitas but also departures
Foodservice distributor Direct Line Supplies (DLS) has joined Unitas.
Established in 1988, the family-owned firm offers an extensive range of frozen, chilled and ambient products, along with packaging and cleaning materials.
The company recently expanded its operations, with an additional 180,000 sq ft facility opening in Stockton-on-Tees, complementing its existing 55,000 sq ft site in the town.
Company director Pedram Salahshouri said: “Joining Unitas allows us to leverage the extensive benefits of the UK’s largest independent buying group, including enhanced purchasing power, competitive promotions and access to innovative marketing support.”
In other news, Unitas chairman Mark Aylwin is to
step down from the role at the group’s AGM in November.
Having been elected to the position in March 2021, Aylwin agreed to remain as chairman beyond his threeyear term to oversee the group’s strategic development, with a particular focus on supply chain optimisation.
Aylwin commented: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Unitas, but I have
decided not to stand for re-election at the AGM.
“Unitas hosts some of the biggest and best wholesalers in the UK and I am proud to have been associated with such entrepreneurial businesses over my three-and-ahalf years.”
The new Unitas chair will be formally announced at the group’s AGM.
In another departure, Tracey Redfearn, who was Plan for Profit category
controller before becoming head of marketing & communications, has gone from Unitas following a restructure.
Redfearn is well known in the wholesale industry, having previously worked for Today’s Wholesale Services from 1990 to 2014 before moving to Nisa Retail for six years and then ‘rejoining’ Unitas in 2020.
She commented: “My 34year career in wholesale and retail has stood me well. I am proud to say I have worked with a few inspiring great leaders who have supported me to be the best I can be.”
Unitas has also reported that its members have seen savings of up to 38% on expenditure in the first half of the year through its procurement service with Auditel. In total, Unitas wholesalers have saved over £2.2 million since January.
David Cattrall (left) of Harlech and Matt Farrall of Farrall’s.
L to r: Abbas Salahshouri, DLS; Cheryl Hope, Unitas; Sonal Sarvaiya, DLS; Katie Hinchliffe, Unitas; Pedram Salahshouri, DLS
Top grades
Thomas Ridley has seen its British Retail Consortium Global Standard (BRCGS) for Food Storage & Distribution boosted from a B to an AA grade.
Thomas Ridley is part of the Caterfood Buying Group and supplies a wide range of foodservice customers. It also has a large e-commerce division, shipping bulk orders across the UK.
Operations director Mark Murphy said: “Last year was our first time applying for this certification, having previously held ISO 9001, and we were thrilled to pass with a B first time. To surpass that this year and achieve a double A pass has taken a lot of work, fine tuning of processes, and attention to detail to demonstrate that we’re really on top of everything and doing everything right.”
Meanwhile, JW Filshill has achieved a grade A in its BRCGS Standard for Storage & Distribution audit.
CEO Simon Hannah commented: “This is an exceptional result that reflects our commitment to safety and integrity in the warehouse sector.
“This is not just about how good we are on a given day but the culture we have and the high standards all the JW Filshill team set for ourselves every day. A massive effort from all of the team.”
Seven-year extension
Bestway Retail has entered a new long-term partnership with SimplyFresh, which has 80 stores that are branded SimplyFresh or SimplyLocal.
Bestway Retail, which has been working with SimplyFresh for the last 14 years, has signed a new seven-year agreement as part of its roadmap to offer bespoke propositions for its diverse customer base.
Jamie Davison, retail director at Bestway Retail, said: “We know the SimplyFresh retailers really value the offer and support that we give them, and our focus will be to work closely with Kash Khera and all the SimplyFresh team to ensure that we enhance this even further.”
He added: “Supporting the increased performance of the existing SimplyFresh retailers, as well as introducing new retailers and stores to the estate, is our joint objective.”
Kash Khera, creator & co-founder of SimplyFresh,
said: “Over the past 14 years, SimplyFresh and SimplyLocal have worked closely with Costcutter and this partnership has been pivotal to our growth and success.
“This evolution marks a commitment to leverage the exciting opportunities through dual fascia branding with Bargain Booze and Wine Rack and the multiple supply routes.”
Bestway reports that there are a number of SimplyFresh retailers who are looking to add the Bargain Booze or Wine Rack brand to their stores. SimplyFresh retailers have access to the Best One, Bargain Booze and Costcutter supply chains.
Rebrand and investment
As Dunns Food and Drinks prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2025, the family-owned wholesaler has introduced refreshed branding and appointed Donnie Munro as executive development chef.
Designed to reflect the company’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and exceptional customer service, the new logo has been added to Dunns’ fleet of vehicles to enhance customer recognition.
“Our rebrand is more than just a new logo and look; it signifies a new chapter for Dunns,” said managing director Jim Rowan.
“We wanted to create a brand identity that reflects our rich heritage while also representing the dynamic and forward-thinking company we are today. Our new look embodies our commitment to providing exceptional
products and services to our customers.”
Dunns has also made significant investments in its team and operations. The company has expanded its sales division with five new food business development managers, including executive development chef Donnie Munro.
With a career catering to celebrities such as Jack
Nicholson and Michael Douglas, Munro brings a wealth of experience to the Dunns team.
In addition, the wholesaler has invested £1.5 million over the last year in eco-friendly initiatives. This includes a £1 million energyefficient CO2 freezer, solar panels and LED lighting, bringing the company closer to its net-zero goals.
Jamie Davison (left) and Kash Khera.
MD Jim Rowan and operations director Julie Dunn.
SPAR sponsorship win
Around 1,000 children enjoyed celebratory finale events as the SPAR Lancashire School Games concluded for an 18th year.
A Party in the Park in Burnley, a Blackpool Zoo Orienteering Festival, and a Central Festival in Preston saw the games finish in style.
Activities held at the three events included a traditional sports day, a creative dance production, outdoor activities, target sports, quad kids athletics, orienteering, football skills, crown green bowling, scootering, tennis skills, and kayaking.
The last academic year saw the Games reformatted with an increased focus on organising events and competitions in three distinct
clusters in Lancashire –Coastal, Central and Pennine.
Over the course of 18 years, SPAR, through its association with James Hall & Co, has invested more than £250,000 into the Lancashire School Games. In 2023-24, the Games engaged 26,000 children in sport and activities across Lancashire.
Niels Dekkers, retail
development director at James Hall & Co, said: “It is fantastic seeing schoolchildren enjoy physical activity, as well as building important life skills such as communication, teamwork and problem solving.
“It has been another Games that we have been proud to sponsor with the SPAR brand.”
Awards
Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally (MADL) charity has launched its largest ever round of Heart of the Community Awards, with £250,000 available for ‘stronger communities’ initiatives run by local charities and not-for-profit causes.
Donations of up to £5,000 will be awarded to deserving causes, and the deadline for applications is 17 September.
Applications for the awards can be made directly through local Nisa retailers.
All charities and not-forprofit initiatives are encouraged to apply; however, a preference will be given to young people as two-thirds of this age group feel disadvantaged due to recent economic pressures, says Nisa.
Sample boxes and digital screens for members
Sugro UK has announced the continued distribution of its retail sample box, which is now being shared with the retail customers of member North West Wholesale. It joins fellow members O’Reillys and Youings in offering the samples to their customer bases.
Following the positive response and valuable insights gained from the launch in 2023, with 75% of customers who received the box placing orders for the included products, the 2024 retail sample box features an even broader selection.
Retailers receive samples of the latest snacks, beverages, confectionery and grocery essentials, sourced from both well-known brands and suppliers who are new to the wholesale industry.
Tom Lumsden, director of
North West Wholesale, said: “We are thrilled to be one of the first wholesalers to distribute the retail sample boxes to our valued customers. At North West Wholesale, we believe in building strong relationships and providing products that meet our customers’ needs and expectations.”
In other news, Sugro UK is rolling out its digital signage solution to its members, following a successful
implementation with TB Cash & Carry.
In partnership with suppliers, Sugro is offering the digital screens to its members free of charge.
Sugro maintains that the initiative, which is in collaboration with Add Vision, is set to significantly enhance the way members can communicate with their customers. The screens can feature promotions, special offers, NPD and product information.
Sital Patel, managing director of TB Cash & Carry, said: “Sugro UK’s launch of digital screens has been a game-changer for us at TB Cash & Carry. It has significantly enhanced our in-store marketing capabilities, allowing us to engage with customers more effectively and promote our products dynamically. We are very excited about the potential
this technology brings to our business.”
Worldwide Confectionery, which trades as Sweet & Glory, has joined Sugro.
Established in 2015, Sweet & Glory operates from a 31,000 sq ft warehouse in Manchester.
The delivered wholesaler supplies a wide range of imported confectionery, soft drinks and snacking products to convenience stores, sweet shops, forecourts, theme parks and online retailers through an ecommerce website and a TikTok shop.
Driving awareness
Booker is continuing to drive awareness of the men’s suicide prevention charity Andy’s Man Club with a tour of the wholesaler’s cash & carry branches.
“Earlier this year we introduced our Andy’s Man Club HGV vehicle on social media,” explained a Booker spokesperson.
“Over the past few weeks, our HGV driver Keith [Smith], who is also a facilitator for
Andy’s Man Club, has been travelling across the country, spreading awareness. #KeithOnTour has seen 26 branches visited so far, with more planned each week. He is also attending a local Andy’s Man Club Group on his travels for attendees to see the truck.”
Smith (pictured right) is a Class 1 HGV driver and is based at Booker’s Haydock regional distribution centre.
Own-brand roadshow
Caterforce’s own-brand team has been out on the road visiting members’ depots to showcase new own-brand products.
The roadshow has been designed to educate and inspire members’ sales teams about the latest additions to Caterforce’s ownbrand portfolio. These include Caramelised Biscuit & Apple Custard Tart, Berry Cheesecake Tart, and Premium Collection Chips.
“Our goal with this roadshow has been to empower our sales teams with comprehensive knowledge and enthusiasm about our new products,” said Rebecca Woollam, own-brand marketing manager.
Portico Seafood
Brakes has launched Portico Seafood, a new range of frozen fish and seafood.
Portico Seafood features two distinct tiers – Classic and Premium – helping customers to identify more easily the products that best meet their quality and value requirements.
Portico Seafood Classic is claimed to offer products that are equal to or better than other national or leading brands, while Portico Seafood Premium is positioned to deliver exacting specifications, premium performance and exceptional value.
The initial range has a choice of premium frozen fish such as monkfish, Cornish sole and sea bass, as well as popular everyday menus items including scampi, MSC breaded cod and prawns.
Brakes plans to expand
the range to 150 products over the next 18 months. The wholesaler currently offers just over 100 private label frozen fish and seafood products, and the Portico range is not a direct replacement for the current lines but it will replace some existing products over time.
Paul Nieduszynski, CEO at Sysco GB, said: “For businesses that serve seafood, Portico delivers consistent, quality products sourced with integrity and a commitment to food safety.”
Wider choice in Channel Islands
Cimandis, which is part of Caterfood Buying Group, has added 190 new products to its offering for Channel Islands foodservice operators.
Available exclusively to Channel Islands customers from Cimandis, the products include Koffman’s fries, Glenfields Foods burgers, Yarde Farm ice creams, La Lorraine doughnuts, Daily Dose juices and Greek food from Odysea.
Cimandis is the largest foodservice company operating across the Channel Islands, and it recently held its first Premier & Artisan Trade Show in Guernsey where several of the new ranges were on show with the help of more than 20 suppliers.
Cimandis supports many hospitality and independent establishments, from beachside vendors to some of the best hotels across the Channel Islands – including delivering to Herm and Sark, where there are no cars allowed and deliveries are made by horse and cart!
Nigel Holliday, managing director of Cimandis, said: “Naturally, our hospitality industry is so important to island life and we want to make sure that our customers have the best products in order to create the best experiences for their guests.”
Nigel Holliday of Cimandis (right) with Julie Baker, also of Cimandis, and Gavin Scott of Caterfood Buying Group.
Connecting with communities
Over 60 years, Wanis International Foods has grown to become one of Europe’s leading world food distributors, serving customers across the UK and in 35 overseas markets.
As Wanis International Foods celebrates its 60th anniversary, Cash & Carry Management talks to the Wadhwani family about building the business with the UK’s widest range of world food products and its ethos that community starts with its 200-strong multicultural team.
What have been the major milestones during Wanis’s 60 years?
1964 was a year for the history books!
Muhammad Ali became the heavyweight boxing champion of the world, America was in the throes of ‘Beatlemania’, and Wanis opened its first shop in Holloway in London’s old East End.
Mr and Mrs ‘Wani’, as they were affectionately nicknamed by their customers, are the parents of the current owners Kapil and Sanjay. They took the first steps of the family business that, after six decades of long working hours, stress and sacrifice, has become one of Europe’s leading world foods distributors, employing over 200 people and creating thousands of jobs and business opportunities worldwide.
Proudly taking its name from founder Tulsidas Wadhwani (aka Mr Wani), Wanis began importing small quantities
of exotic foods from Africa and the Caribbean to sell to London’s newly arrived migrant community.
It wasn’t long before the enterprise outgrew the original store and relocated to Commercial Street in the early 1970s, close to the site of the original Spitalfields Market which, at the time, had an unparalleled range of exotic fruit and vegetables which would draw customers from across the UK. Mr Wadhwani’s wife and his two sons Kapil and Sanjay then joined the business, making it a real family enterprise.
By the early 1980s, the business had grown further and the family acquired a storage warehouse which became the
UK’s one-stop shop for specialist ethnic food. It relocated again in the 1990s to even larger premises in East London. Wanis began delivering goods to its customers in the UK and, in 1994, identified a huge opportunity to export British and global brands around the world, and so the export side of the business was launched.
Today, Wanis is one of the largest specialist food and drink wholesalers in Europe with an annual turnover exceeding £140 million. It supplies all UK trade sectors in addition to 35 overseas markets across Europe, West Africa, the Caribbean and the USA.
With a site in Leyton (East London), Wanis commissioned a new £20 million state-of-the-art distribution centre in Rainham (Essex) in 2021 as part of its long-term growth plans. Constructed on a brownfield site, the new premises were completed in April 2022, significantly increasing the capacity of the distribution and delivery function of the business. The Rainham site features dedicated facilities which position the company to further grow its export side, including unique stock locations, bulk container handling, picking and racking.
Who are the directors and senior executives in the business now?
The business is now co-run by Mr Wadhwani’s two sons – Kapil and Sanjay – who are both directors. They are supported on the board by George Phillips (commercial director), Adam Reader (finance director) and Alam Ameer (associate director).
Turnover: £140 million
Depots: Leyton (also head office) and Rainham, both over 10,000 sq ft
Number of lines: between 7,000 and 10,000 depending on the time of year
Customers: multiples (supermarkets), retailers, wholesalers, restaurants, take-aways and exports
Number of employees: 200
The current owners, Sanjay (left) and Kapil, with their Dad’s first Mercedes.
Mr and Mrs Wadhwani in 1984.
At the start, Wanis helped new migrant communities enjoy a taste of home – is it still doing that today?
Whilst many of our customers are South Asian, African and Caribbean diaspora, our customer base is much more diverse than that. Modern Britain is a melting pot of different cultures: you will find Jerk chicken (a Caribbean dish) served with jollof rice (a West African dish) at many restaurants and takeaways these days.
As a result, world foods have been a star performer in grocery over the past decade with consistent double-digit year-on-year growth. With increasing diversity among our population, allied to Brits continuing to embrace an everwider range of cuisines, this doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon.
With the widest range of world food brands and products available in the UK, we see significant growth in volume based on the trend seen from some 10,000 products stocked by Wanis across myriad categories and cuisines.
Among our 200-strong team across our sites, we number 28 nationalities and ethnicities and 25 languages spoken, making us a truly inclusive employer. Our business serves many communities in the UK and further afield, and only by having members of these communities
in our family do we feel we really are able to connect with the consumers who are ultimately our customers.
How important is the ‘family’ element to Wanis today, and how has Wanis managed to maintain that as it has grown over the years?
We think community starts with our team. As trite as it may sound, we strongly believe in the ethos that our staff are all part of the ‘Wanis family’.
We value everyone in our team
equally, and this is illustrated by the results of our annual employee satisfaction survey, which scored the company between 9.25 and 9.92 out of 10 across eight important measures, something that we are extremely proud of.
We know one another’s children and spouses and we regularly celebrate together at various events, one of the most popular being the summer barbecue where staff are encouraged to bring their families to a day of games, fun, music and food.
Wanis’s 200-strong team includes people from 28 nationalities and ethnicities.
Our head office is in Leyton, in the London borough of Waltham Forest, where we are the largest private sector employer. Our team reflects the rich diversity and vibrancy of the area.
We are proud to be a valued part of the local community, both as an employer and in our work with local stakeholders such as councillors, MPs and mayors to support their initiatives; for example, we recently invited the borough’s young mayors to our head office to give them an insight into our work.
What are you doing as a business to celebrate your 60th anniversary?
We are donating £60,000 of grants to charities and community groups. We are also hosting a party for our suppliers, customers and partners to say thank you to those who have helped us grow over the years.
What plans do you have for the future? Do you intend to remain family-owned and family-run?
Sanjay Wadhwani: “My brother Kapil and I still enjoy coming to work every day, so we have no plans to retire to the golf course just yet! Having said that, as we continue to grow, it’s natural that we have brought in key individuals to be responsible for the running of the business and strategy. Kapil always says that our people are our USP.
“Our new site in Rainham has resulted in us having more retail space in our Leyton cash & carry, including a
large range of frozen products.
“We want to carry on growing, and we see exports as an area of growth. Export has become a core strategic objective for our company, and so in 2015 we set ourselves the ambitious target of doubling our export sales by 2021.
“Six years of consistent growth followed, including in 2020-1 through the challenges posed by Brexit, resulting in an increase of some 175% over the six-year period, and culminating in us winning The Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade in 2022.
“We have a dedicated export team who are experts in their field and focus solely on our international customers. This partnership approach has proved invaluable in markets as far afield as Nigeria and the USA, and closer to home in navigating Brexit. We are especially proud not to have lost a single EU customer over the period since the implementation of Brexit.”
What are your current philanthropic activities in the UK and overseas?
One of the charities we support in Waltham Forest embodies our company philosophy in its cross-community, inter-faith approach to tackling poverty, cultural deprivation and isolation in the borough: PL84U [simply ‘Plate For You’ in acronyms] provides hot meals, companionship, food and clothes to the elderly, homeless and those in need.
We give the charity a monthly budget
that it can spend in our cash & carry warehouse on items to distribute from its food bank. Recently we proactively increased its monthly budget as we are acutely aware of the current cost-of-living crisis, and PL84U will undoubtedly see an increased demand for its services in the coming months.
Via our marketing and public relations team, we also help the charity to promote itself and subsequently attract funding and donations.
Further afield we support several other food banks across London and the UK including Peckham Pantry, Brixton Soup Kitchen, Made in Hackney and the Birmingham Care Group.
Another charity we assist is Prison Link in the West Midlands, an initiative that supports black and Asian offenders by reducing their risk of further custodial sentence and providing help and support to their families. In addition to financial donations, we have used our expertise to build Prison Link’s website as well as offering the charity other pro bono design services.
Many of our customers are of black and south Asian heritage, and as such we want to help serve and engage these communities. This is what led us to work with the NHS during the height of the pandemic to encourage people of black and south Asian heritage to donate much-needed blood.
We also worked on a campaign to encourage conversations around the often-taboo subject of organ donation where there are sometimes cultural or religious barriers to this life-giving gift.
We put stickers on 100,000 bags of our rice to encourage donations and we also utilised our marketing and public relations expertise to work on the campaign pro bono to recruit celebrities and influencers and to create and post content across social media channels. The NHS Blood Transfusion service was blown away by the campaign. CCM
Commercial director George Phillips (centre) with members of the Wanis ‘family’.
The trials and tribulations of building a successful business The trials and tribulations of a successful business
Mrs Wadhwani: “We started Wanis in 1964 as a small grocery shop in Caledonian Road and from there we moved to a place [Commercial Street] close to Spitalfields Market where we began wholesaling, selling fresh fruits and vegetables that we imported.”
Sanjay Wadhwani: “My Mum and my Dad, they were the guys who started this. Mum was always very strict and Dad was very soft. They imported fresh fruit and vegetables, and the location close to Spitalfields Market was ideal because we benefited from passing custom, but because we weren’t officially part of the market we didn’t have to pay the levy, which gave Mum and Dad a price advantage.
“In the 1970s there was lots of industrial action which resulted in power cuts. This was a disaster for my parents because our fresh stock would spoil when the fridges and freezers would go off. All their money was tied up in stock so they’d lose all their money. In those days they got money and put it into stock, got money and put it into more stock… that’s what you did. So, everything was destroyed and that happened to them three times!
“Then there were dustmen strikes, so we had tonnes of rotten produce and nobody was taking the rubbish away. It just became a headache and Mum got really stressed out by it and
she said, ‘We’re not doing this any more; we can’t run a business like this where we can lose everything overnight!’”
Mrs Wadhwani: “Sometimes shipments were delayed so the produce would go off, or the wrong shipment came in at the wrong time. I realised that importing fresh produce was a very precarious business to be in, so I told my husband we needed to change and that’s when we started trading in tinned stuff.”
Sanjay Wadhwani: “Mum changed the business to processed and ambient foods. We brought small quantities from abroad and sourced some items from other cash & carries. We still sold some
fresh produce but we were no longer responsible for importing it. Slowly, slowly, the ambient side of the business grew and overtook the fresh side of things. I think Mum’s timing was perfect because it just exploded.
“In 1991 Spitialfieds Market moved to East London, so we had to move too – we found a large warehouse on Waterden Road, which is now the Olympic Park. It was owned by the Brooke Bond Company – they accepted our low-ball offer with the proviso that we had to complete within seven days. We didn’t have time to organise finance with the bank so we went to a loan shark with a crazy rate of interest. We borrowed the money from him, bought the building and sorted out the mortgage with the bank afterwards so that we didn’t lose the deal.
“The building was too big for us; we couldn’t afford the overheads like the rates and mortgage, so we did it in stages. We took one part of the building and rented out the back part. As we grew, we took back more and more of the space. That’s what we did: we kept knocking the walls down!”
Mrs Wadhwani: “We took a leap of faith to move from E1 to Waterden Road in Stratford. We moved into a warehouse for which we needed a very big loan. It was scary but I said to myself, ‘If I don’t do it, we’ll never grow’, so we took the leap. We had to rent out part of the warehouse as we couldn’t afford the interest rates on the loan for the whole space. Eventually we were doing enough trade that I could take the space back.”
Mrs Wadwhani: “By the 1980s, we were selling products mainly from the Caribbean. I noticed that East London had more and more people from West Africa, so I asked my husband to start importing foods from that part of the world. Business picked up and our customer base increased: it was really successful.
“We made a name for ourselves. People would say, ‘The stuff you can’t get anywhere else, you’ll get at Wanis.’”
Mrs Wadhwani in 1984. Realising that importing fresh produce was a precarious business, she started trading in processed and ambient foods.
Sanjay in Commercial Street in the ’80s.
Guidance for foodservice operators to make the most of the festive season
Christmas is already front of mind for foodservice operators, and wholesalers including Brakes and Lomond: The Wholesale Food Co are highlighting their offerings for the festive season.
Brakes’ Christmas campaign features more than 1,000 products to help caterers make the most of the festive period.
In its most comprehensive festive new product development programme to date, more than 130 new lines have been introduced. These range from Pulled Turkey and Turkey Hotdogs – a twist on Christmas favourites – to decadent desserts like Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake and Chocolate & Sour Cherry Roulade.
In this year’s brochure, Brakes has added more sector-specific information so that customers can instantly find information that is more relevant to their business. There are also downloadable point-of-sale materials to help caterers make their menus more visible.
Demand can often be volatile at Christmas with last-minute bookings, and Brakes has highlighted a range of ‘Freezer to Plate’ dishes that can be served in 5-15 minutes.
The wholesaler is also providing options to enable operators to maximise returns, with four three-course menus, including vegan and gluten-free options, all offering up to 70% margin.
Paul Nieduszynski, chief executive at Sysco GB, says: “In the current market
conditions, with the cost-of-living crisis still impacting demand in foodservice, getting Christmas right will be critical to the success of outlets.
“To help customers create winning menus, we’ve introduced a huge number of new products that offer fantastic standout, alongside the traditional favourites that deliver the quality and value customers expect from Brakes.”
Meanwhile, Lomond: The Wholesale Food Co has launched its Christmas brochure with menu suggestions and tips on achieving a sustainable season.
“This year we’ve added even more delicious festive products, many of which are labour saving without compromise,” points out director Barbara Henderson. “Also look out for chef Robbie Penman’s recipes and plating suggestions.” These include Tobermory Trout Plate and Charcuterie Wreath.
The brochure features traditional favourites plus a variety of sides, desserts and cheese.
In addition, there is a full listing from Lomond’s bakery, Cake. “You will not only find our traditional products like Millionaire Shortbread and Victoria Sponge, but you will also see our seasonal specials which include Chocolate Orange Shortbread Biscuits and Rudolph Empire Biscuits,” says Henderson.
The Glasgow-based wholesaler, which is striving to become B-Corp accredited, recently invested in its Port
Dundas site, adding storage capacity and improving its sustainability credentials with the addition of electric cars, a rainwater tank and more solar panels.
Lomond also actively promotes sustainability to its customers, and the Christmas brochure includes 10 tips to improve sustainability during the season:
1. Plan ahead: Consider things such as ordering ingredients from suppliers that use minimal packaging and how many food deliveries you’ll need to get.
2. Reduce packaging: For example, buying loose fruit and veg means you only buy what you need and you can put everything into reusable bags.
3. Cut food waste: Try to cut any waste by planning ahead.
4. Cook with care: Metres of foil, baking parchment and cling film get used at Christmas. You can cut down on both your costs and waste by investing in reusable wax wraps and tin liners.
5. Equipment: Sharp knives are easier to use and create less waste. Stainless steel boxes, glass jars and silicone bags are great ways to store food.
6. Bones & peelings: You can make stock from vegetable peelings and bones. Many foods we normally peel don’t actually require it.
7. Use your freezer: Ensure your freezer is clear before the festive season so you can store leftovers or anything you know you won’t use straight away.
8. Love your leftovers: Think about using your leftovers to create new and exciting dishes such as Christmas pizza, turkey minestrone or sprout hash.
9. Choose wisely: Items we use every day can be swapped for sustainable options, such as recycled aluminium foil and FSC-certified baking parchment.
10. Composting: Put all your produce scraps into a compost bin.
“Being more responsible when cooking is all the more important at Christmas, a time of year that is notoriously excessive,” maintains Henderson.
“By cooking smart, planning ahead, trimming back and rethinking some old traditions, we can all make a difference to the planet and run our kitchens more efficiently.”
Tom Slaven, retail director, UWG, and president, SWA
Boxing coach and poet
What have been your biggest achievements in work and outside work?
My biggest achievement from a working perspective would be my current role as retail director at United Wholesale Grocers (UWG) alongside my recent appointment as president of the Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA). On a personal level, my biggest achievements have been getting married to Karen in 1990 and the arrival of our daughter Erin Catherine in 1997 (all pictured).
Who has been the biggest inspiration to you?
My parents had a great work ethic and moral code and this has followed me throughout my life. Work hard, show respect to others, and look after those less fortunate than yourself – I live by these simple principles every day.
What were your ambitions when you were growing up?
I always enjoyed woodwork and art at school as it was completely different to language, science, history, etc, and I fancied myself as a joiner...for those who know me, they will tell you that I wouldn’t know the right side of a hammer now!
What are your interests outside work? I was a former amateur boxer and I have my own gym. It is a non-profit club and we coach youngsters from the age of eight upwards – and adults too. A lot of the people that come through the doors are there to keep fit while others go on to compete. This is a voluntary role that I do along with a few other friends; we are there three nights per week and sometimes weekends when there are competitions. Believe it or not, this really does help me unwind. I see it as a hobby – every time I enter the gym it helps me find perspective and relaxation.
How would you describe your personality and what approach do you take in business (and in life)?
I am very easy going. If I had one gripe, it would be when people are really negative about an issue or situation that may arise. I understand that everyone lives and thinks differently, yet a positive approach can always help navigate your way through the storm. I have a saying (don’t ask where I read or heard it): ‘When faced with an issue, it’s an opportunity for change’. I apply this mantra in life and it has helped me to stay focused on what really matters.
What is your favourite film, book and song/piece of music?
I love Christmas and my all-time favourite film is It’s A Wonderful Life (1946); I watch it faithfully every year. I am not much of a reader and wouldn’t claim that I have any favourite book. In terms of music, I like many different artists, from Michael Bublé to Madness, but I would say that the best concert I attended was the Rolling Stones at Hampden Park stadium in Glasgow back in 1990 – that was something special.
If you won a holiday, where would you go and who would you take with you? Santorini and I would take my wife Karen.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I currently hold a British Boxing Board of Control Professional Trainer Licence and I train professional boxers. I also write poetry and I have had a few of my poems published in a book of verse that I compiled for charity along with a few friends back in 2011. The book is called Changing Places, An Anthology of Verse. CCM
14 years at Castle
Tom Slaven stayed on for a further year at high school to attain two more Highers (English and History) as he genuinely didn’t want to go on to further education but had no idea what career he wanted. He had a part-time job delivering milk to people’s doorsteps, which he describes as tough as it was a 4am start. On leaving school he got a job at Castle Cash & Carry in Glasgow and there he got the bug for wholesale and retail. He worked his way up the ranks for 14 years and went on to spend two years at Booker before moving into sales at AnheuserBusch and then Asahi UK. In 2017, he returned to cash & carry/wholesale in his current role of retail director at United Wholesale Grocers.
‘We understand what works’
Bill Lattimore (below), route to market controller at KP Snacks, explains how the supplier’s ranging advice is helping wholesalers and retailers boost CSN sales.
How does KP’s ‘25 to Thrive’ advice help retailers make the most of the crisps, snacks & nuts (CSN) category? ‘25 to Thrive’ is our impartial category advice which includes a list of muststock SKUs to help retailers drive sales of the crucial CSN category, now worth almost £4.4 billion and experiencing growth of 6.9% year on year (Nielsen).
Our ’25 to Thrive’ range recommendation covers all segments including popcorn and has been created using the latest, in-depth category insights to deliver an optimised fixture.
We recently worked with a number of independent retailers to put our ‘25 to Thrive’ advice into practice. On average, these retailers saw a rise of 15.3% in their category sales over a four-week period versus the previous four weeks by implementing the advice and principles.
What benefits does this programme have for cash & carries and delivered wholesalers?
Crisps, snacks & nuts is a scalable, priority category, demonstrating resilience in difficult economic times. Wholesalers can support retailers by educating them and by following ’25 to Thrive’ advice themselves: stocking the right range of best sellers and making sure they are visible, well signposted and always available in depot. These key brands lend themselves to off-shelf promotions and rack ends, offering clear purchase messages and a call to action to retailers.
stocking a complementary offering of NPD, creating variety and engaging shoppers.
McCoy’s Epic Eats is a great example of this, offering a rotation of new and innovative flavours, the most recent of which include Grilled Cheese and Flamin’ Fajita. Available in stores from September in a £1.25 PMP format, the new SKUs are inspired by American flavours and feature an onpack promotion offering shoppers the chance to win a US road trip.
How important to consumers is NPD in the CSN category, and do you take account of NPD in ’25 to Thrive’?
Our impartial ranging advice has been carefully crafted to help retailers capitalise on bagged snacks growth opportunities by cutting through a crowded market and identifying the must-stock SKUs.
However, shoppers are always looking for new and differentiated products and retailers can capitalise on this by
We have also launched Discos Prawn Cocktail as a £1.25 PMP. Discos is one of the top 10 £1.25 PMP brands, growing ahead of the category at 19.1% (Nielsen).
What proportion of KP’s business goes through the cash & carry/delivered wholesale channel and how does this compare to five years ago?
Total wholesale now makes up 26% of our business versus 24% in 2019 and we pride ourselves on working closely with wholesalers as hugely important partners. The CSN impulse channel is growing ahead of total grocery, and one in five convenience baskets now contain a bagged snack (Lumina). We have
a 26% value share of CSN in the impulse channel – up from 23% in 2022 (Nielsen).
Large PMPs are driving strong growth in impulse, up 10.7% with a 35.8% share (Nielsen). Our £1.25 PMP range is growing ahead of the total category at 12.6%, whilst our share of £1.25 PMPs is now 37.8%, up from 32% in 2022 (Nielsen).
How are you looking to strengthen your partnerships with cash & carry/delivered wholesalers?
The wholesale channel is a critical route to market for our products and a crucial resource for retailers. We continuously review market needs, changing customer dynamics, missions and occasions to ensure our portfolio helps retailers and wholesalers continue to thrive.
We have built strong relationships with our wholesale partners and understand what works in the channel. We’ve evolved our pack format strategy and now have a price-marked format for all of our best-selling brands and flavours from Space Raiders to Hula Hoops Big Hoops.
We will also continue to regularly promote our brands, making sure that they are visible to retailers, and driving footfall with highly engaging and well communicated retailer sales incentives.
How can cash & carries and delivered wholesalers improve their sales of crisps, snacks & nuts?
Wholesalers have a huge role to play in supporting ongoing category growth by stocking the right range for retailers to shop and ultimately the best sellers that consumers themselves are looking for. Ensuring these lines are visible and making the most of promotions is key to driving incremental impulse purchases. CCM
Surplus happens
What you do with it matters now more than ever.
FareShare
fights hunger and food waste by redistributing surplus food to 9,500 frontline charities and community groups in the UK.
“ When you have a full belly, it makes a huge difference to your overall wellbeing. We have really brought the community closer together, and we literally wouldn’t be able to do any of it without FareShare.
We believe that good food should go to people, not waste.
We take edible surplus from right across the food and drink industry and get it to people in need.
Ellie Phillips, Matthew’s House ” Or visit: fareshareuk.com/FDM Scan: Give us food and make a real difference to people in need.
Ticking all the boxes
The foodservice industry today is catering to a thrifty consumer who has high ethical and quality expectations of the food and its packaging. Siobhan Kielty reports.
The catering industry has seen a huge amount of upheaval in recent years. While consumers are still feeling cost-of-living pressures, it seems that the sector has been invigorated by supplier activity and customer enthusiasm for elevated but affordable experiences.
Celebration Packaging is focused on sourcing truly sustainable packaging. “The importance of accreditations and of clearly labelling packaging with the correct logos and instructions on how to dispose of items at end of life has been highlighted through the results of a recent survey conducted by Sapio on behalf of Celebration Packaging,” says Nick Burton, managing director. “68% said it is very or extremely important that food and drink packaging is certified recyclable, while 59% think it should be certified as sustainable.”
The company’s EnviroWare brand aims to simplify the task for responsible foodservice providers addressing sustainability. “To make it easy for operators looking for foodservice packaging which fits their business model and has all the correct sustainability accreditations, all of our outer packaging is clearly labelled, so on-shelf they can make quick and simple choices when at the cash & carry,” reports Burton.
Cheese charity challenge by Millbrook
Millbrook Dairy, the fast-growing cheese and butter business, has announced plans to travel from its headquarters in Bideford, Devon, to the Orkney Islands in Scotland in a Tuk-Tuk (sporting a giant wedge of cheese on the roof) to raise funds for Children In Need.
Co-founders and directors David Evans and Kevin Beer will visit the major UK cheese producers in England, Wales and Scotland along the way. The 1,386 mile trip will take place in September and include 22 stops.
Millbrook supplies catering-sized packs for wholesale – formatted and 20kg blocks. The minimum order quantity is one pallet. Variants include mild, mature and extra mature Cheddar, Red Leicester, Double Gloucester and reduced fat cheese.
https://bit.ly/MillbrookTukTukChallenge
Robinson Young highlights the importance of packaging in elevating a caterer’s offering. “While there is often a focus on the quality of ingredients, unfortunately packaging is often overlooked –wrongly,” says Aleksandra Nowak, product development manager. “It’s important to remember that catering disposables are a key part of a customer’s overall experience – they determine how the product looks, help it retain temperature and reflect the vendor’s ethos.
‘It’s important to remember that catering disposables are a key part of a customer’s overall experience –they determine how the product looks, help it retain temperature and reflects the vendor’s ethos’
Aleksandra Nowak, Robinson Young’s product development manager
“It is very easy to consider catering disposables as ‘giveaways’ or a cost that does not bring anything to your business, but it’s much more complicated than that – a takeaway coffee in a flimsy cheap coffee cup may justify a £1 price point, but in an insulated triple-walled beautiful looking cup, charging £3 is perfectly justified.”
The supplier advises wholesalers to ensure that they have sufficient stock to weather supply chain challenges and rising shipping prices over the summer months.
Due to a low minimum order quantity of £600, an extensive range and a commitment to providing stability and value to its customers, Robinson Young enables operators of varying sizes and budgets to source the right product range.
“We haven’t raised prices on our catering ranges this year, with many ranges seeing price reductions,” Nowak states. “Our ranges cover everything from disposable gloves to chip & pin till rolls, from bagasse boxes to chemical cleaners. We are a one-stop shop that saves time and offers exceptional value every day.”
Scottish bakery brand Dean’s has revamped its foodservice range with packaging and flavours targeting three distinct markets. Its premium-tier products are for establishments looking for products denoting a little luxury and individuality. These include Steven Brown All Butter Shortbread 25g twin packs, featuring five colourful designs by artist Steven Brown, and Shortbread Heart single packs in Cappuccino, Lemon, and Raspberry & Cream variants.
The mid-tier range is aimed at customers seeking high quality at a mainstream price, and includes Traditional Recipe Shortbread Rounds, Traditional Recipe Shortbread Minis and a Snack Pack Assortment.
The range at the entry-level price point retains the quality of the other products while being more affordable due to a reduced portion size.
“Our foodservice packaging is bright, modern and eyecatching, but still has a nod to our history and Scottish origin,” says Nick Watkin, commercial director. The outer case designs feature product and pack photography to ensure stand-out onshelf in depots.
Bells of Lazonby’s We Love Cake range has been extended to include a freefrom breakfast muffin.
The hand-finished Breakfast Muffin combine the flavours of raisins, apricots, cranberries, gluten-free oats, pumpkin seeds and cinnamon, and is free from wheat, gluten and milk. It comes frozen in boxes of eight, individually wrapped to allow thawing that matches consumption requirements and reduces wastage.
Potato expert Lamb Weston has unveiled its latest innovation, Really Crunchy Fries. Developed exclusively for the outof-home channel, the new product holds its heat and crunchiness for 30 minutes.
The coated fries are available in 9 x 9 Skin Off, 9 x 9 Skin On and 6 x 6 Skin Off varieties and have already benefited from a sampling campaign, whereby over 1,000 hot samples were delivered to operators across London.
With fries a staple for a huge range of foodservice operators, a product that offers an enhanced eating experience and adds value to a menu is a major benefit to wholesalers and their customers.
“Really Crunchy is perfect as a loaded option as well. Due to the thicker, gluten-free coating that has been used to give that extra crunch – and certified vegan, too – these fries maintain their crunch under a range of toppings and sauces,” says trade marketing manager Craig Wescott. “This means that operators can use Really Crunchy as a perfect choice for loaded fries dishes, adding even further value to their menu.”
Bespoke promotional support is available from Lamb Weston to support customers in driving sales of Really Crunchy Fries.
The brand formerly known as Pure Catering has become AN&, a nod to the company’s family heritage. Brothers Sumit and Avi Anand have decided on the rename to honour their grandfather’s shop, Anand Refreshments, having discovered that the original shop in India is still operating in the family.
The brothers’ business specialises in office, corporate and mobile catering with offerings in the aviation and construction sectors.
The London-based operator offers a blend of Eastern and Western flavours and influences to cater to diverse demographics at London’s busiest transport hubs.
“We want to explore more avenues and build a brand that can one day present our customers with a story deeply rooted in our heritage,” says Sumit Anand, director of business development.
An increasingly socially-aware consumer base takes into account not only the food itself but also the packaging.
IN THE KITCHEN MADE FOR THE
Beat the competition and serve the ultimate crunch sensation!
Staying in makes tills ring
A big night in has become the norm for many people after months of watching the pennies, and wholesalers and their customers can prompt purchases by highlighting ideal products.
Abig night in can be anything from a night on the sofa with a partner to a group of friends gathering together for a celebration, and suppliers are catering to these missions with products and activities.
“As shoppers continue to feel the strain on household income, the big night is becoming more important, as consumers choose to socialise in their own homes instead of going out – in fact, one-third of shoppers are now choosing to stay at home to celebrate,” reports Caitlin Brown, category executive at BrewDog.
“This is great news for convenience retailers and wholesalers, especially as many of these occasions are likely to be impromptu, so creating a dedicated display in store and promotions on linked purchases can drive impulse sales.”
Some 13% of people say that they are drinking more at home (Vybe). A total of 27% of craft beer drinkers say that BrewDog’s Punk IPA is ideal for casual occasions with friends and family, while 54% definitely would consider Punk IPA for a night in alone or as a couple (Kantar).
BrewDog’s top two products are Punk IPA and Hazy Jane New England IPA four-can multipacks, and it recently introduced session IPA Wingman in the impulse channel following an initial launch into grocery.
Over at Aston Manor Cider, a new range of Frosty Jack’s pack formats has been introduced. “These come in at a number of different recommended retail price points to help provide shoppers with better value without trading down on quality as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite,” explains head of marketing Calli O’Brien.
“Many consumers are choosing to entertain guests or host celebrations at home instead of going out to cut costs, thus benefiting the big night in.”
The Frosty Jack’s rsp range includes a onelitre bottle, a 1.5-litre bottle and 2.5-litre bottle.
The Frosty Jack’s brand will be supported by the return of the ‘Hans Handerson’ advert later this summer. Encouraging customers to ‘Crack Open the Unexpected’, the campaign will feature on video-on-demand and out of home.
Another recent launch is Knights Vintage Cider 500ml glass bottle. With an abv of 8.4%, this cider is a blend of bittersweet apples. Knights Cider is now the UK’s No.1 strong amber cider brand (Nielsen).
Tayto Group, category leaders in pork snacks (Circana), has launched its biggest ever campaign for pork scratchings – sponsoring coverage of darts on Sky Sports.
The campaign started last month and continues until 3 January, culminating in the finale of the World Darts Championship. Featuring the commentary style unique to darts, it is designed to hit the spot with darts and scratchings fans alike and is expected to be viewed by six million people.
In its first TV campaign for pork snacks, Tayto will shine a spotlight on the No.1 selling Mr Porky Original Scratchings, as well as Mr Porky Crispy Strips and Midland Snacks’ traditional Hand Cooked Pork Scratchings.
KP Snacks highlights its Tyrrells, Butterkist and popchips brands as ideal for the big night in. “Whether it’s a big gettogether to remember, a casual drink paired with nuts, or a family movie night with popcorn, the crisps, snacks & nuts sharing segment has grown significantly and represents a huge opportunity for retailers,” says sales director Matt Collins.
Despite recent inflation, brioche and other bakery items remain relatively low priced, so they play an important part in the big night in, points out Louise Reynard, customer development director UK at St Pierre Groupe.
“Premium brands like St Pierre offer an easy and affordable way to elevate at-home meals for these occasions. The trend of premiumisation is not slowing, as nights in are still more cost-effective than nights out, and restaurant-quality food at home remains an appealing proposition.”
Reynard says that the big night in category is also benefiting from increasing popularity of more substantial meals, such as burgers and hot dogs. St Pierre caters to this demand with Baker Street Burger Buns and Hot Dog Rolls. CCM
A first-class opportunity
Wholesalers and retailers can capitalise on the back-to-school and freshers missions by stocking up on the products that best meet the needs of students and their parents.
Whether looking for convenient products for packed lunches or an after-school treat, parents and their children will be shopping in their local store as the new academic year begins. Students heading to higher education are also highvalue shoppers for the convenience channel, and therefore wholesalers and their customers should consider their ranging and merchandising to create maximum appeal.
One of the most popular categories among students is crisps, snacks & nuts. “Bagged snacks are a staple in children’s lunchboxes and a popular lunchtime and food-to-go choice for university students, making the ‘back to routine’ occasion a critical opportunity for retailers to drive crisps, snacks & nuts sales,” points out Matt Collins, sales director at KP Snacks.
The supplier highlights its broad portfolio of tasty and permissible snacks, including Hula Hoops Puft, Pom-Bear and popchips. In total, it has more than 100 nonHFSS SKUs.
The iconic USA snack brand, Cheez-It, is now available in the UK from Kellanova, and is being supported from September with a media investment of £18 million, spanning TV, radio, out-of-home, sampling, PR and social activities.
The UK range features two flavours – Cheese & Chilli and Double Cheese – and there is a variety of sizes, including small individual packs (65g PMP and 40g) and larger sharing bags.
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Squares, also from Kellanova, is the leading snacks brand in the treat segment (IRI), with 2.9 million UK households purchasing them every year (Kantar).
A new Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Square variant that brings together two iconic cereal brands – Rice Krispies and Corn Flakes – is now available.
The new product combines the light and chewy marshmallow Rice Krispies Squares with the classic crunch of Corn Flakes.
Sam Harper, snacks activation brand lead, says: “Corn Flakes have always been a much loved and celebrated part of Kellogg’s history. To be able to combine such a classic cereal product with the UK’s leading treat segment snack brand is extremely exciting. We can’t wait to see what Squares’ fans make of this new and iconic offering!”
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and Corn Flakes Squares have an rsp of £2.25 for a four-pack and £3 for an eight-pack.
Over at Mondelez, a PMP of Cadbury Brunch Bar Choc Chip has been introduced.
Financial help for university students Financial for students
The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust (LTCT), which provides financial aid for the families of those working in the convenience, grocery and pharmacy trades, has announced that applications for 2024/2025 undergraduate bursaries are open until 15 October.
Through the charity’s bursary scheme, university students whose parent or carer is employed in an eligible profession can apply to receive up to £3,000. The bursary can be put towards tuition fees, or other expenses such as course materials, equipment or travel costs.
With the charity’s core belief that everyone should have the opportunity to reach their academic potential, LTCT hopes that it will help alleviate some of the financial pressure on students and their parents.
Alongside the undergraduate bursary, a postgraduate scheme is currently open for those keen to return to university. This closes for applications on 1 September.
For more information: www.leverhulme-trade.org.uk.
The new line is a pack of 5 x 28g bars price-marked at £1.39 to drive brand visibility and communicate value to price-conscious shoppers.
Choc Chip is the No.1 Cadbury Brunch flavour and is up by 172% in the independents and symbol channel (Nielsen).
Also new from the supplier is a Strawberry variant of Sour Patch Kids, available in 130g bags with an rsp of £1.50.
The new flavour joins the Sour Patch range at a time when the brand is outpacing the jelly-style sweets category with growth of 51% year on year (Nielsen). It is the supplier’s first new Sour Patch flavour since Watermelon in 2022.
Mars Chocolate Drinks & Treats is looking to add some fun and colour to the cookie aisle with the launch of Cookies with Chocolate M&M’S minis.
The cookie launch comes on the back of M&M’S minis confectionery launch, which is being supported by a marketing investment of £2.8 million.
General manager Michelle Frost says: “We anticipate that the launch of Cookies with Chocolate M&M’S minis will attract a new younger shopper to the cookie aisle.”
Cookies with M&M’S minis are available in a 144g convenience-specific pack, price-marked at £1.99.
For customers seeking gluten and dairy-free alternatives, Bar1 Brands has added to its YuBi Bar range with the launch of two new protein bar flavours, Honeycomb and Chocolate Orange. The company decided to make Chocolate Orange, initially released as a limited edition in April, a permanent addition to its core range of eight flavours, after it sold out within 72 hours.
Each 35g YuBi Bar delivers 10g of protein, 99Kcals and less than 0.5g of sugar. What’s more, all variants are plantbased and gluten and dairy free.
Florette UK reminds wholesalers and retailers that fresh salads are a quick and easy option for parents wanting to include healthier food in children’s lunchboxes.
Commercial & marketing director Martin Purdy says: “Very often, the main ingredients in sandwiches for children’s lunchboxes may not be chosen for health reasons, but parents can easily add the healthy option of fresh salads and complement a wide range of children’s favourite lunchbox options.”
Florette has a selection of salad products that are suited to the lunchbox occasion, including Florette Crispy (90g and 140g), the biggest selling salad product in the impulse channel, and Florette Mixed salad (125g).
Yazoo Kids, from FrieslandCampina, is also highlighted as an ideal addition to lunchboxes as it is a convenient and school-approved drink.
Buisness unit controller Katie Chadd says: “Its unique recipe, which is free from added sugars and artificial sweeteners, ensures that kids get a delicious beverage without compromising on health, and in turn, parents can trust Yazoo Kids to deliver both great taste and nutritional value.”
Yazoo Kids is the No.1 multipack flavoured milk brand on the market (IRI). “This status can be partly attributed to the very popular Minions partnership, which returned again last year to mark the latest movie release, driving collectability and helping the Kids lines stand out on shelf,” points out Chadd.
Also in the flavoured milks category, which is worth £565 million per year in the independent retail sector (Nielsen), Delamere has unveiled its new CartoCan format for on-thego customers. It is available in the company’s two bestselling flavours – Strawberry and Chocolate – with Banana to follow in 2025.
The CartoCan is 100% recyclable, reduces plastic waste and offers a convenient alternative to the brand’s 500ml glass bottle format. It also provides a safer and more practical alternative for childfocused locations.
According to Delamere, 235ml is the perfect size for lunchboxes, vending machines and meal deals. It is also school-compliant with less than 5% sugar and has no artificial sweeteners, flavourings, colours or preservatives.
The CartoCan can be stored at ambient temperatures but the drink is best enjoyed chilled, says the company.
In the energy drinks category, Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I has unveiled two new SKUs of Lucozade Alert: 250ml cans of Ultimate Energy – a guarana flavour – and Zero Sugar Mango Peachade.
Aoife McGuigan, head of category expansion, says: “We’re investing in the Lucozade Alert range to bring the right formats and the right flavours to market and drive even more sales for retailers this year. Research shows us there is strong demand for smaller cans in the category, with 31% of stimulation drinks now sold in 250ml cans (Nielsen).
Lucozade Alert Ultimate Energy and Mango Peachade Zero Sugar 250ml cans have an rsp of £1 and also come in 75p PMPs. The launch is being supported by out-of-home advertising, social activity, consumer sampling and in-store activation.
bakery brand no.1 From the UK’s
Benefits of keeping up to date
Wholesalers have some notable category advances to take into account when selecting and promoting their ranges in the tobacco and next-generation product sectors. From accessories to smokeless innovation, supplier activity is heating up at the moment!
Value sales are following the larger shopper trend and driving growth in the tobacco category. It’s important for wholesalers and retailers to have a detailed knowledge of the current tobacco and next-generation product markets – and the preferences of their customer base – when choosing their ranges.
Roll your own and accessories
While the roll-your-own (RYO) segment has shown a marginal decline, the value sub-category is still recording strong sales. Ultra-value RYO is the fastest-growing in share terms, with 15.6% of the combined tobacco market (Circana).
Imperial Brands advises wholesalers and retailers to ensure that their offering caters to the value trend while bearing in mind the brand loyalty of existing adult smokers.
“It’s key that wholesalers stock the right RYO offering and we would highly recommend offering a wide range of leading brands such as Embassy Signature, Riverstone and Players JPS. Although 30g formats may be proving the most popular for shoppers, larger formats still account for 31% of RYO sales so ensuring a range of 50g formats is available should also be a focus,” says Yawer Rasool, consumer marketing director UK&I.
‘Despite the focus on value, there are still many adult smokers who remain brand loyal and are willing to pay a more premium price for a brand that they know and trust’
Yawer Rasool, Imperial Brands’ consumer marketing director UK&I
“While products in the value and economy price tiers make up over half of RYO sales, the premium price sector in fact holds the largest share of the RYO market at 36%. This really demonstrates that, despite the focus on value, there are still many adult smokers who remain brand loyal and are willing to pay a more premium price for a brand that they know and trust (ITUK).”
The tobacco accessories category provides a substantial sales opportunity for wholesalers, maintains Rasool.
The rolling papers category has
performed well over the last year, with recent figures showing that king-size papers represent around 60% of the sales value and, within this, combi papers is the fastest growing segment.
“Value savvy consumers are increasingly migrating from king-size into combi formats due to the added value and convenience they offer. To help wholesalers tap into this trend, we recently extended our combi range to include a new Classic King Size Combi variant for our iconic Rizla brand,” reports Rasool. With an rsp of £1.30, the Rizla Classic King Size Combi includes 32 unbleached king-size papers and tips.
Accessories have the additional benefit of signposting related products to highlight value. Papers remain the highest-value sub-category and Republic Technologies has the fastest-growing paper brand with the eco-friendly OCB range (Circana). The addition of OCB Authentic Rice Papers to the line-up is a draw for “the growing number of roll-your-own consumers who are now looking more closely at products with natural ingredients”, according to Gavin Anderson, sales & marketing director.
The manufacturer advises wholesalers to stock multipacks to capitalise on the need for value and to showcase a comprehensive accessories range. “Shoppers in this category have a range of different usage occasions and purchasing habits, so choice is absolutely key in maximising engagement and sales in tobacco accessories,” says Anderson.
Republic Technologies has a retailer-focused competition running until the end of the month on its Swan brand. There are five prizes of £1,000 and five prizes of £100 on offer for retailers who purchase three cases of any Swan branded filters from qualifying wholesalers. Proof of purchase can then be entered online for a chance to win.
Factory-made cigarettes
Worth the biggest share (70%) of all tobacco sales (ITUK), the factory-made cigarettes (FMC) category holds a huge amount of value for wholesalers.
“With products in the lowest pricing tiers (economy and value) now worth 69% of all FMC sales, it’s clear that sales in the category are very much driven by demand for value. With this in mind, we launched an exciting update to our popular Embassy Signature New Crush and L&B Blue New Crush variants to enable wholesalers to cater to the ongoing demand for value tobacco,” says Yawer Rasool, consumer marketing director UK&I at Imperial Brands.
The updated variants give smokers the opportunity to enjoy an instant cooling sensation thanks to a large bore filter that is nearly 20% larger than a standard-size bore filter.
For JTI, brand additions such as Mayfair Gold have boosted sales in the ultra-value sub-segment. “Mayfair Gold has had a hugely successful introduction,” says Mark McGuinness, marketing director.
“We are responding to existing adult smokers’ increased demand towards value for money by offering well-known brands like Benson & Hedges and Mayfair at ultra-value price points. Wholesalers have been able to capitalise on these propositions by leveraging brand heritage with a competitive on-shelf price point.”
Activity such as the product enhancement to the Benson & Hedges Blue range with the Benson & Hedges Blue King Size and Benson & Hedges Sky Blue King Size Dual Pack Innovation has also strengthened performance.
“With the value of tobacco in the UK totalling £13.8 billion in the last year, and the value in the independent and symbol channel accounting for £5.5 billion of that, the market remains a strong and profitable category (Circana),” says Gemma Bateson, sales director. “With existing adult smokers increasingly influenced by price, we have continued to innovate our value product offering, launching new products to meet demand and drive sales.”
Cigars & cigarillos
The cigar category is worth £316.6 million in annual sales, which is a value increase of 11.7% versus the same time last year, reports Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG). This growth is spearheaded by the continuing popularity of the cigarillo sub-segment.
This is not only good news for the category, but also for independent retailers and wholesalers, according to STG. “It’s definitely cigarillos that are the current success story within cigars. The category barely existed four years ago, but sales are now worth £133 million and they account for more
than half of all cigars sold in volume terms,” says UK head of marketing Prianka Jhingan.
The segment should not be overlooked by the convenience channel.
Explaining the advantages of the cigar segment for wholesalers and their retail customers, Jhingan says: “The key thing cigars and cigarillos offer retailers is great profit margins. On average they are three times higher than cigarettes so, for example, our Moments Blue brand offers up to 18% margin when sold at its rrp.”
‘It’s definitely cigarillos that are the current success story within cigars. The category barely existed four years ago, but sales are now worth £133 million’
Prianka Jhingan, UK head of marketing, Scandinavian Tobacco Group
STG’s Signature Action brand is currently the fastest growing cigarillo, experiencing sales growth of 40.6% across the UK versus the same time last year.
Meanwhile, the company’s Moments 10s packs are the biggest brand in the value-for-money segment and are “well-known amongst tobaccoselling retailers as a popular choice amongst those customers who are looking to save money”, says Jhingan, adding: “There’ll certainly be some adult smokers who will have moved to smaller pack sizes as a way to save money.”
Smoke-free activity
Scandinavian Tobacco Group has launched a sampling campaign for its XQS nicotine pouch brand, acquired by the manufacturer last year.
“This summer’s campaign will allow us to introduce XQS to thousands of potential customers across the UK and we look forward to hearing their feedback,” says UK head of marketing Prianka Jhingan. “We know existing pouch users are going to love XQS when they try it, due to the great flavours and uniquely smaller pouch size, so driving trial by getting cans into hands is an important part of our strategy.”
The activation includes a 60-day sampling campaign in high footfall areas of London, as well as smaller sampling activity in cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Leeds. In addition, festival sampling, office drops and a social media campaign will heighten brand awareness.
The acquisition of the XQS brand is part of STG’s strategy to boost its presence in the next-generation nicotine category with a smoke-free offering. In recent years the brand has expanded into new territories, including Switzerland and South Africa, as well as showing strong growth in its native Sweden.
Imperial Brands has launched a new product to meet the changing needs of adult vapers. It is being introduced in the UK wholesale and independent retail channels first.
The new blu bar kit is a slimline, lightweight device designed with the convenience and portability of a disposable device but featuring a rechargeable battery and USB-C charging port. The supplier has also added two new flavours, Cherry and Pineapple, in its related pod line-up.
“The all-new blu bar kit further extends the range of product features and benefits that the vaping community is seeking. It offers up to 1,000 puffs per pod, while the liquid level is also visible through the translucent pod, making it much easier to see when the pod needs replacing. Meanwhile, enhanced safety offered through a security lock is another key benefit for retailers to share with their customers,” says Yawer Rasool, consumer marketing director UK&I.
“The stylish aesthetics mean the blu bar kit has visual standout, while the demand for continued and frequent use is supported through the rechargeable battery. Finally, the new Cherry and Pineapple flavours are intensified, thanks to our innovative mesh coil.”
The kit contains a device and a pod in either Cherry or Pineapple flavour. Blu bar pod packs are also available, featuring two pods per pack in Cherry, Pineapple, Blueberry Sour Razz or Watermelon Ice flavours.
“As consumers search for vaping solutions that provide even more intense flavours, ease of delivery and competitive pricing, we believe the blu bar kit offers a significant sales opportunity for wholesalers and retailers alike – as well as providing another revenue stream ahead of the proposed disposable vape ban,” Rasool says.
The supplier advises wholesalers and retailers not to move pre-emptively regarding this impending legislation. “While the disposable vapes ban announcement may have brought concern for many wholesalers, it’s important to note that if the draft regulations pass through parliament, the ban is not set to come into force until 1 April 2025, which means that it’s business as usual for now,” points out Rasool.
‘Despite the disposable vapes ban announcement, it’s unlikely that the demand for disposable vapes will slow down any time soon’
Yawer Rasool, Imperial Brands’ consumer marketing director UK&I
“Despite the announcement, it’s unlikely that the demand for disposable vapes will slow down any time soon, so we recommend that wholesalers continue to stock a wide range of leading disposables, like our new blu bar 1000, in order to cater to this trend and, in turn, maximise sales.”
In another move to encourage a smoke-free direction, JTI’s Ploom X Advanced device is being rolled out to more areas across the UK. The device and the accompanying Evo heated tobacco sticks have been available to convenience and vape retailers in London, but this is now being expanded into independent and symbol group retailers in Sheffield and Glasgow to capitalise on the growing sales opportunity.
“We are continuing to see more customers looking for an alternative but familiar tobacco experience with devices that heat tobacco instead of burning it,” says marketing director Mark McGuinness. “The category is currently worth £120 million in traditional retail. With JTI estimating the category to be worth £400 million by 2027, there’s no doubt that heated tobacco provides a big opportunity for wholesalers, especially those with strong product knowledge.”
