Customer registrations reopen at Bestway
New customers are welcome again at Bestway Wholesale as Managing Director Dawood Pervez continues to lead the charge for fair stock supply.
Pervez appealed to suppliers to responsibly share stock after the cash and carry giant experienced shortages as consumer demand spiked due to the Covid-19 outbreak and now feels the situation has changed enough to allow new registrations from catering and pet customers again.
But while things are improving, Bestway is still keeping in close contact with suppliers to ensure they continue keeping the entire convenience retail channel well stocked.
“We know how tough it has been for many operators to secure desperately needed stocks and supplies of products,” Pervez said.
“We’ve been working with our suppliers and campaigning on behalf of independent retail stores and community shops to stress the importance of supply through our sector, so that vital products can directly reach people’s homes while staying local in the face of social isolation.
“The role of the independent local community store has never been more important. Local convenience stores lost a lot of footfall when price marked packs came off tobacco products, but now is the time for them to regain some of that footfall with consumer shopping habits changing.
“It’s an opportunity for retailers to reconnect with the communities they serve and for many this will transform their businesses so long as they stick to recommended PMP and RRP on products as much as possible and do not try to profiteer.”
Despite the stock struggles, Bestway is registering local authorities and NHS trusts that need to support vulnerable people who are protecting themselves against the virus.
It’s part of a number of community-focused initiatives taking place among Bestway’s retail members as they aim to help those who need it most, with fast-track enrolment of stores to the wholesaler’s Uber Eats programme also triggering more than 2,000 orders in the past few weeks.
“Although we are managing our supply chain efficiently to avoid issues for customers, we do continue to face issues with supply and whilst I thank the suppliers who have whole-heartedly supported us, I ask that those who continue to base volumes on pre-Coronavirus numbers to consider the new-normal of shopping habits and our reach and the number of people we support and therefore make us a priority.
“We are receiving urgent requests every day: from supporting refugee charities in London, to helping community stores obtain stock in rural locations through the Plunkett Foundation and are getting heavily involved with DEFRA to support the vulnerable and to raise the issue of poor availability into the sector.
“We believe that ethically it is our responsibility to support other’s in their times of need and we continue to work with organisations including the Felix project who are doing an amazing job of trying to provide food to foodbanks and projects in and around central London.”
Bestway catering coronavirus covid-19 Dawood Pervez retail wholesale
