Brakes is opening its first-ever cash & carry. It’s an interesting move for the delivered foodservice giant, and one that’s raised eyebrows.

“Brakes is bringing wholesale back to its traditional bricks-and-mortar roots”

Sara Spary, reporter

While everyone else has been diversifying into foodservice and online, Brakes is bringing wholesale back to its traditional bricks-and-mortar roots.

For a company that prides itself on the convenience that delivered wholesale offers, some competitors are shocked by the move and have warned of the consequences of Brakes digressing from its core model.

After all, it’s a more natural progression for traditional C&Cs to move into delivered wholesale than vice versa. Whisperings about whether C&C will form the basis for future growth at Brakes and questions about the delivered model have already started.

The 50% off £100 spend promotion that Brakes is running for the C&C’s first two weeks will no doubt lure customers in-store - one competitor even joked he’d cash in on the offer.

But whether enough caterers choose to drive to Croydon in the long run, rather than order from the comfort of the office, remains to be seen.

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