Scottish wholesaler Filshill has identified England as a primary area for the extension of its KeyStore symbol group, as the company increases its recruitment drive. 

Multiple retailers in England told Better Retailing that they had seen a significant rise in the amount of activity from KeyStore representatives (BDMs) and efforts towards recruitment, particularly in the north of the country. 

Ken Singh, of BB Nevison Superstores in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, said: “I’ve seen more activity from KeyStore reps visiting my store and providing information on joining them. “I have looked, but it’s more about whether they can offer me the right terms with regard to product range, delivery and pricing. Any move like this will require some thought.” 

Other retailers agreed that more representatives from KeyStore had visited them and confirmed that recruitment pitches had been made to retailers in rival symbol groups. 

Asked to comment on the recruitment strategy, a KeyStore spokesperson said it “has an ambitious growth target set for 2031”, which can only be achieved through “rapid” increases in “the number of retailers and the quality that we are bringing in”. 

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They added: “Growing the number of retailers in the north of England is very much part of this target.” 

The expansion has also included the appointment of Kieran Dhinsa, who has occupied several different positions at KeyStore over the past eight years, as head of the business development team. The KeyStore spokesperson said: “[Dhinsa] knows the market inside out, and has the drive and experience to understand and support the development of our target retailer, who is tech-savvy and entrepreneurial, with the community at the heart of their business. 

“We believe this appointment, alongside our well-established BDM team and our retail-driven collaborative strategy, will create even greater demand for retailers who fit our target persona to select KeyStore as their symbol partner.” 

The spokesperson added that the company’s “service levels and availability are vastly improving”, which it attributed to “an innovative forecasting system that focuses on a collaborative project with our commercial and operations teams internally and our test suppliers”. 

The spokesperson claimed this would set KeyStore apart from competitors in terms of service to customers, along with other “significant investment” in supply, such as a new distribution centre. 

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