Bestway is rebranding its delivered foodservice business as it sets an ‘ambitious target’ for it to represent 20% of its turnover.
The wholesaler has revamped its Bestway Batleys foodservice division as BB Foodservice, which comprises about 20,000 lines with a core range of 1,300 SKUs.
It currently accounts for 7% of the business, but Bestway sales director of retail Tony Holmes said the plan was to ramp this up to 20%.
“This is where we want to play - providing restaurants, hotels, independent hotels - a full service provider in categories we are strong at,” he said.
Earlier this month, Bestway urged the Competition & Markets Authority to throw out the proposed £3.7bn merger of Tesco and Booker, claiming it would ‘distort’ competition in the wholesale industry.
But Holmes, a former sales director at the Health Lottery, denied the relaunch was so the company can compete if the deal was approved, saying Bestway had been working on the rebrand since last October.
“This isn’t about that, we needed to get ourselves right,” he said.
“A big chunk of the business, 93%, is in retail and it’s a tough market. Foodservice as an opportunity to grow is a no-brainer.”
As part of the initial relaunch, BB has hand-picked 15 of its ‘high-performing depots’ across the country to supply its delivery fleet with a selected range of its new branded products.
Bestway Wholesale managing director Martin Race said: “For years, wholesalers have been too preoccupied with what their competitors are doing to stop and ask their customers what they want. So we listened. And we put what we learned to good use. BB Foodservice is here to deliver a local, more personal, service. A complete service that gives our customers what they want, when they want it. So they can focus on what they do best.”
Bestway head of marketing Salih Sheikh said the company would be launching a new ‘bespoke’ app in November or December to support the relaunch.
Race added: “This isn’t just about delivering quality products at competitive prices. From recipes, tools and calculators to our tailor-made wine list design service - our support doesn’t end at the door. Whatever our customers need, our local territory sales managers are just a phone call away. And they relish a challenge.”
No comments yet