When buying local produce, what steps should retailers take to get the most out of their relationship with mainstream wholesaler?

Simon Harris, business development controller at Palmer & Harvey, explains.

Ask for help

Use a large wholesaler’s resources when trying out new local products, says Mr Harris. “If a retailer asks us for help we’ll give them two weeks’ credit. They might not want to take the cash out of their till and the supplier benefits because they get their products in another stockiest.”

Choose your range

Once you know stocking local produce is feasible the next challenge is which products to stock first. To help with this, P&H will again set up a local village area at Pro-Retail, also producing a brochure with a directory of available products.

Organise your deliveries

Another benefit of a large wholesaler is that their scale allows individual retailers to be flexible with the size of orders. “Retailers can order a range of products through us and their wider P&H account – letting them benefit from our rebate benefits,” Mr Harris says.