New buying group shares future vision

In addition to announcing six brand new members within the first week of January, the new buying group The Wholesale Group last week hosted two briefing events for senior suppliers where it shared details of its plans and future vision.

The senior supplier briefing event, held at Soho Hotel, London last week, saw more than 50 channel directors in attendance plus 150 representatives from leading FMCG suppliers, across all product categories.

Joint managing directors Jess Douglas and Tom Gittins introduced the new group, outlining the rationale for its creation and the group’s USP:

“We all know the wholesale landscape is changing and we recognise the need to change with it to ensure we provide the best support and value for both independent wholesalers and our supplier partners,” said Douglas.

“As a result, The Wholesale Group has been created to provide the home for independent wholesalers, of all sizes, with extensive retail and foodservice expertise and support. This also provides our supplier partners with a highly-effective, cost-efficient route to market for independent caterers and retailers.

“And of course, our major USP is that there is no charge to join the group as a member, and all members receive a share of the profits.”

Gittins outlined the group’s strategic pillars, including central distribution and its central payment solution, described as a ‘win win’ for both wholesalers and suppliers.

“While The Wholesale Group can support every retail and foodservice business in every postcode, we provide one Group invoice and one Group payment, which will save considerable time and money for suppliers and members alike. It’s the ultimate win win.”

He also outlined some of The Wholesale Group’s innovative tech initiatives, including how both members and suppliers can utilise data and insight.

TWC’s Tanya Pepin shared updates on Insight, while Cerve’s David Walker and Nestle Professional’s Martin Robinson discussed how the Accelerate platform benefitted suppliers.

Illan Hepworth from ShopAI provided an introduction to The Wholesale Group’s brand new AI tool, which will launch later this year. This will provide members, suppliers and The Wholesale Group team with the opportunity to utilise AI in order to simplify how data and insight is accessed and understood, resulting in real-time accuracy of data and significant time savings.

Attendees also heard from co-chairs Coral Rose and Martin Williams, as well as an overview from Lumina Intelligence MD Jill Livesey.

“It was a fantastic day and we’re absolutely delighted with how our plans were received,” said Gittins. “Feedback from suppliers has been overwhelmingly positive and there is a real buzz around our plans for the future.

"As well as existing suppliers, we also saw a number of brands we haven’t previously engaged with which has prompted countless new conversations. It’s a really exciting time.”