Some of our achievements

A review of the work undertaken by the Federation of Wholesale Distributors reveals many positives achieved on behalf of the industry.

These involve the unmatched services to cash and carry and delivered wholesalers serving retailers and caterers ranging from intensive political lobbying and attacking bureaucracy to educational concepts designed to assist wholesalers’ customers.

Over the past decade there have been notable successes resulting from Federation representations on a wide variety of fronts.

Packaging waste

This subject and the legislation under which it was introduced several years ago will not go away. FWD has battled long and hard to reduce its cost impact, not only to wholesalers but also to their smaller retailer customers. Recently, the Federation together with the ACS, prepared a paper for the Advisory Committee on Packaging that influenced Government not to bring businesses with a turnover of less than £2m and / or handling over 50 tonnes of packaging a year into the scope of this regulation.

Helpline

FWD new product launch for 2005 was the first ever HELPLINE for wholesalers and associate supplier members. Legislation, supplier contacts, and industry developments are all covered.

Tobacco duty stamp

The Federation secured a victory for the total cash and carry and delivered industry when, on the brink of decision by Government, a delegation of wholesalers persuaded the Treasury to drop the date element from the new duty stamp on cigarettes and tobacco. Had the date element survived in the legislation, every wholesaler would have been forced to carry stocks to supply retailers with the relevant dated stock on the run up to the Budget and another lot of stock to be sold. Wholesalers might think about the cost implications of the Government’s original proposal had it gone through unaltered.

Duty marks for spirits

The Federation is the only wholesale voice on the JATCG (Joint Alcohol & Tobacco Trade Consultation Group) that is currently negotiating with HM Customs & Excise and the Treasury to introduce duty stamps on bottles of spirits in 2006 at least cost to the industry – and to provide sufficient time to cleanse the supply chain of unmarked stock.

Re-approval of meat plants

The Federation is representing wholesalers who are operators of licenced meat plants in negotiations with the Food Standards Agency. Wholesalers without meat operations may feel that they are not involved but, realistically, they are in as much as the Food Standards Agency requires to be educated on the highways and byways of wholesaling as such. There will be future Food Standards Agency decisions across the board which could affect wholesaling operations and costs and FWD is taking this opportunity to be proactive in its interface with the country’s top food safety watchdog.

Catering is in growth

Catering has moved on and FWD is pioneering the exchange of ideas which will help every wholesaler to extract maximum profit from this growing market. Buying and selling ‘big tins’ was once enough for wholesalers to get into catering. But today wholesalers need to understand marketing concepts more akin to retail to participate in foodservice growth. For example, Dorset Direct Services, is promoting school needs with fun promotions providing more business for manufacturers and wholesalers. The £30,000 prize draw and the fantastic Making the Band promotion for school stars are examples of Blakemore promotions driven by Blakemore Foodservice.

Product recall

The Federation is the accredited nerve centre for contact by Government agencies for product recall or food safety warnings. The Federation holds a database and has an open line to Government departments for circulating instant product warnings and recall instructions to the membership. By maintaining this service, the Federation ensures that there is always an interface with Government, especially at times of emergency.

Interface with suppliers

The Federation is the accredited link with manufacturers and their trade association, the Food and Drink Federation. Speakers from FDF are allocated platforms at Federation conferences to maintain this crucial top level link with the manufacturing community. The Federation is seen as the consultancy by individual suppliers who require instant read-outs of wholesale sector matters, people and trends. This consultancy aspect is in increasing demand as manufacturers recognise the accelerating buying power of the superstores and therefore the greater requirement for knowledge of our alternative channel.

Pro Wholesaler

All wholesalers – members of FWD or not – throughout the UK, trading controllers, buyers, depot managers and head offices and buying groups receive their regular copy of Pro Wholesaler, launched 17 years ago.

Pro Wholesaler has succeeded in achieving the highest ABC rating in the industry – a benchmark of circulation and readership quality issued by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Pro Wholesaler has been established to ensure that wholesale industry matters are treated with editorial authority and journalistic professionalism. The publication carries exclusively all the relevant editorial on the Take Home Blueprint initiatives and planograms, for example. The monthly feature, A Buyer’s Diary is a must read for every buyer in the sector – and suppliers.

My Shop Is Your Shop

The My Shop Is Your Shop campaign was launched by the Federation of Wholesale Distributors with the first ever National Independents’ Day on June 1st.

It promotes wholesalers’ customers in a unique generic manner. MSYS is designed to highlight the fact that the independent retailer can say to his customers that his shop is their shop because he will depend on meeting the everyday needs of the community. There is a personal interdependence. The manager of a convenience store satellite owned by a giant superstore can't claim ownership of the store – hence the distinction between the sole trader and the family business whose members live in the community and experience its everyday happenings.

MSYS is an on-going initiative designed to focus on the value of the independent in the local community and millions of consumers throughout the country got this message through the media on the first National Independents’ Day.

Click here to visit the MSYS website

How FWD won the argument for ‘moratorium under another name’

The campaign by the Federation of Wholesale Distributors to halt superstore acquisitions of small c-stores is bearing fruit.

FWD alone has persisted in asking the Office of Fair Trading to impose a moratorium on acquisitions to allow a market review to take place, arguing that a review would be pointless if acquisitions went on simultaneously.

Now OFT has acknowledged that it could impose a halt by launching a review and, during its progress, refer bids for small stores to the Competition Commission.

The ensuing six months’ investigation would rule out most bids due to the delay. OFT has agreed that this is a moratorium by another name. “This is another way of halting the current rush-to-buy which FWD has been campaigning for,” saidJohn Murphy, director general of FWD.

The development occurred during an FWD meeting with OFT in 2004 to protest at the Sainsbury acquisition of Jacksons, the Yorkshire store group.

Helpline brings access

Although FWD is funded by its members, it does not restrict its help to members only. In the wider interests of the total cash and carry and delivered industry and in recognition of the greater good, the Federation’s offices are fully manned and accessible by any wholesaler operating within the UK on any issue.

The new FWD Helpline service will give wholesalers and associate supplier members of FWD greater access to information. If FWD doesn’t know the answer it will know someone who does.

As more legislation impacts on the sector, as more red tape and bureaucracy intrudes into the once simple and uncomplicated act of buying and selling, cash and carry wholesalers great and small will use this Helpline. Suppliers who are associate members of FWD are eligible. FWD is simply formalising this “call us now” service which it has operated informally for the past decade.

Together we’re stronger

Cash and carry and delivered wholesalers supplying independent retailers nationwide compete ferociously in the marketplace – but we are one when it comes to generic support campaigns for our customers.

“These activities include a strong political lobby in Westminster, practical and proven marketing help such as the off licence Blueprints and the historic My Shop Is Your Shop initiative embracing National Independents’ Day – in 2006 it’s June 1st again. Put the date in your diary,” said Today’s MD and FWD chairman, Rodney Hunt.

Pritchitts Telesales Achiever competition

Designed to enhance the wholesale telesales function in importance to the supplier community, the Pro Wholesaler Pritchitts Telesales Achiever competition attracted more than 200 entries from foodservice wholesalers throughout the competition. One more example of FWD focus on supplier partnership.

Tribunal clarity on costs recognises small business interests

The Federation raised the issue of domination of the grocery market by Tesco to new heights when it lodged notice of appeal at the competition appeals Tribunal in 2004 against the giant superstore’s acquisition of Cullens, Harts and Europa small convenience stores in central London.

Top lawyers then advised that FWD should withdraw the notice and instantly stop the clocks ticking in the offices of the lawyers of the OFT and Tesco, the latter having made a late intervention with lawyers with the reputation of being the most expensive in Europe. FWD did not have a mandate to meet six figure costs.

No other trade association or individual company had previously got to notice of appeal stage. When OFT asked for its total costs, the Competition Appeal Tribunal refused, allowing only 10%.The court ruled that any future challenges to Office of Fair Trading decisions should not be deterred on the grounds that small companies or trade associations or consumers would fear the subsequent imposition of damaging costs.

Your invitation

Are you a cash and carry or delivered wholesaler new to the licenced market – beers, wines and spirits and alcoholic ready to drinks ? If so you will benefit from the eleven years of experience gained by the FWD Take Home Blueprint initiatives, educational guides for independent retailers which guarantee increased sales for retailers who implement the advice.

We invite you to come on board.

RSVP to Graham Shelley IMA Group 0161 2770 440