Bestway Wholesale launch Good Food Wholesale Inititiative
Bestway Wholesale partners with Impact on Urban Health and Rice Marketing to launch the BESTWAY GOOD FOOD WHOLESALE INITIATIVE.
Retailers can feel confident that they can stock and sell healthy (low sugar, low calorie) products – AND grow their business by doing so.
That’s the clear findings from an initial study – The Bestway Good Food Wholesale Initiative – launched by Bestway Wholesale, in partnership with the charity, Impact on Urban Health, undertaken by specialist consultancy, Rice Marketing, and supported by the FWD.
The project sits alongside the Government’s current health agenda with the core aim to reduce childhood obesity, and ultimately reduce pressure on the NHS through influencing consumer shopping behaviours.
Small and simple changes
Results from the study published in a report on 26 March 2021, show that small and simple changes can have a significant impact on purchasing power, and ultimately on health and wellbeing of the nation.
Piloting the study out of its Croydon Depot, Bestway Wholesale proactively developed and marketed a Healthier Options range, ensuring strong availability of those products whilst making changes to its pricing and promotional activity, increasing shelf labelling and encouraging merchandising options for its retailers.
Taking a concerted ‘push’ approach, the results exceeded expectation on every level, proving that by moving to a healthier approach, there is also opportunity to amplify growth within retailers’ businesses.
The report shows that the volume sales of the Healthier Options range (excluding soft drinks), increased by 7,277 cases over the promotion period, reflecting an increase of 17.7%. The combined sales volume of Alpro products increased by 21% and sales volume of Graze products, increased by a staggering 170%.
Other key findings included some significant sales volume increases of products including wholemeal breads +45.9%, fresh foods +13.4%, grocery +45.6%, Frozen Foods +98.3% and sugar free confectionery +666%.
It was found that key tactics of pricing, promotion, availability and merchandising have the biggest impact when used in combination. An additional promotional supplement was produced for retailers as a mechanism for communicating the Healthy Choices campaign where 100% of the 53 products featured were healthier products.
Taskforce
The Bestway Good Food Wholesale Project will now move towards its second phase as a taskforce is set to be appointed to consider the implications of the report and how to tackle the challenges raised. This will lead to practical trials with wholesalers and suppliers.
Supported and encouraged by the FWD, and backed up by findings from the study, Bestway Wholesale is encouraging the Industry to come together in the interests of consumers and retailers at large, to agree a collective and collaborative approach that is set to make a real difference.
