Big freeze delivery efforts of wholesalers praised by indies

Wholesalers have been praised by independent retailers for their active communication as heavy snow disrupted deliveries into stores. 

Last week, parts of the UK experienced their coldest nights of the year as temperatures in some areas plummeted to lower than -10°C. The sudden cold spell meant that some retailers had experienced late deliveries. 

Sue Nithyanandan, of Costcutter Epsom in Surrey, told Better Retailing that she had no deliveries from Nisa on 12 December, but praised the wholesaler for keeping her updated on the situation throughout the day. 

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One Premier retailer said their Booker delivery was an hour late, but also praised the firm for its communication. They added: “The snow came suddenly, so you can’t really fault Booker for being an hour or so late. The delivery driver was really professional and stayed on top of everything, despite the circumstances.” 

However, some retailers in the north of England experienced no disruption due to heavy snowfall being normal weather at this time of the year. 

A Nisa spokesperson said: “Heavy snow overnight in the south-east of England caused disruption to some routes, which delayed delivery to a small number of Nisa customers today. Every effort is being made to get orders out, with temperature-controlled deliveries being prioritised. All affected retailers have been kept informed.”