Costcutter is holding a series of roadshows so it can address retailers’ grievances on the delivery and availablity issues still being experienced a month after it switched distribution from Nisa to Palmer & Harvey.

The roadshows have been organised as retailers continue to contact The Grocer to report out-of-stocks and late orders. They also claim they are having to turn to cash & carries for stock.

“We fully understand that our retailers are experiencing issues following the migration to our new buy and supply arrangements with P&H,” said Costcutter CEO Darcy Willson-Rymer.

“In order that we can address this situation directly with our retailers, we have started a series of roadshows which give us the opportunity to take a moment with P&H and our retailers to openly discuss what has been happening, and for us to share our detailed plans to overcome these hurdles. We also want to reaffirm the original purpose of migration and what it will bring to each and every one of our retailers in the future.”

One retailer posted on thegrocer.co.uk that he had placed an order on 30 July for 35 outers of chilled, 53 outers of ambient and 18 outers of tobacco. “I received my tobacco, 15 outers of chilled and 23 ambient; the rest of the invoice reads OOS,” the retailer said, adding he would be visiting a cash & carry to get the stock he needed.

Another wrote: “I did not receive my delivery on Tuesday, so I called up customer services. Forty eight minutes wait and I was given a guy’s mobile number, which I rang and left three messages. No response! Called an independent cash & carry in London. No hassles like P&H!”

Costcutter and P&H had previously told retailers there would be a normal service four weeks after migration.

But Willson-Rymer said: “As with any business situation, we are clear on the changing circumstances and the new realities that we face. It is just going to take us a little bit longer to get to where we want to be than we originally envisaged.”

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