Bestway to trim symbol group estate

Bestway is to remove up to 60 of its Best-one stores this year as the wholesaler looks to raise standards across its symbol estate.

Top tips from James Hall

“Chilled is the biggest opportunity for convenience, without a doubt. However, we’ve got an awful lot more to do in terms of educating retailers. There are more retailers moving into it, but a lot of them have yet to see the light.

“If you’re not going to move into chilled you’re not going to survive. It’s a do or die thing.”

Speaking to Retail Express, James Hall, group director of symbol, said Best-one will be rebranding and repositioning stores to give customers the right service, with those shops that are not meeting the right standards removed from the fascia.

“We’re looking at debranding 50-60 stores to get the brand to a high standard. It’s a quality argument – we want to have a quality symbol offering,” he said. “It’s no longer about the retailer choosing us, it’s about us choosing the retailer.”

The announcement from Hall follows Londis brand director John Pattison telling Retail Express earlier this month that retailers will have until 2017 to meet its brand vision or consider
going elsewhere.

As part of Bestway’s plan to ensure retailers have the right solution for their store, last month the company launched a new retail club for small stores. Designed for shops with less than five metres of grocery space, Xtra Local Xpress provides just 15 deals each month.