Costcutter retailers and suppliers descended on Birmingham yesterday for the symbol group’s annual exhibition and gala dinner.
Although pop starlet Pixie Lott officially topped the bill, for many the main attraction was seeing if Costcutter would finally reveal whether or not it would extend its supply agreement with Nisa beyond 2014.
It didn’t. As predicted by The Grocer last week, the arrival of new CEO Darcy Willson-Rymer just seven days ago gave Costcutter the perfect excuse to keep everyone waiting a little while longer. In Steve Jobs style, Willson-Rymer took to the stage with iPad in hand to explain that he wouldn’t be making any decisions until he’d gone through all the details with a fine-toothed comb.
More waiting is bound to make Costcutter unpopular with some. In recent weeks it has lost high-profile members J&J Wilson and RedOrange, both citing the long wait as their reason for leaving.
“In view of the uncertainty over the Costcutter supply route in the long-term and the lack of any assurances from Costcutter, RedOrange has seized the initiative and negotiated an alternative guaranteed method of purchasing stock,” RedOrange MD Chris Futter said just three weeks.
On the other hand, it’s clear Willson-Rymer has already struck a chord with Costcutter members. Retailers are impressed by his career - which began waiting tables for Pizza Hut - as well as his background with a number of franchise operations, including KFC. His honest and informal speech, away from a lectern, in which he promised to make Costcutter “the best of the best” by “going back to basics” and putting retailers and customers “at the heart of every decision” definitely won him some fans.
Now the true test will be whether he can win their patience too.
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