Parfetts is to compete with major rivals in the Midlands by offering services such as business development plans when it opens its new Birmingham depot at the start of 2023.

The cash and carry firm and operator of the Go Local symbol group is to open the site within the first three months of 2023. It will be its eighth depot, adding to existing sites in Aintree, Anfield, Halifax, Middlesbrough, Sheffield, Somercotes and Stockport.

The Midlands is also one of the most competitive areas in England for wholesalers, with Bestway, Booker, Dhamecha and East End Foods based within the region.

Commenting on how Parfetts will differentiate from the competition, the firm’s joint managing director Guy Swindell told Better Retailing: “The next big development for us is Birmingham and we’re making excellent progress. We’re well underway in getting it fit for purpose and operating a hybrid delivered cash and carry service.

“Birmingham is a vast and competitive area and we’re really looking for retailers to partner with. We’ll be offering advice in store investment, range management and marketing campaigns. We can also give retailers access to a number of business partners.

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“We have a good track record of working with independents and the regular feedback we get is that we say what we do. We’re an employee-owned business, which means there are no major hoops to jump through when we make developments. There’s just a spend commitment for symbol retailers and we’re not just about price.”

Swindell added that the company now has more than 1,000 symbol group retailers among its Go Local and The Local fascias.

He added: “Birmingham also gives us access to more villages and smaller towns. There’s scope for us to reach retailers south of Birmingham. Some wholesalers are taking their retail development managers off the road, whereas we’re not. We’ve got 30 retail development managers now and we’re having a big push getting them out to stores to show what we can offer them.”

Last year, Parfetts also began to roll out its Go Local own label, a range which Swindell said can help retailers maintain margin when major suppliers are shrinking profit on some lines. He added: “There are 150 lines now. We’re trying to protect retailer margins by keeping price low. We’re not about tricky rebate schemes. Fortunately we have a great relationship with suppliers and we’re highlighting the importance of price-marked product. We’re urging them to not erode margins and we’re pleased to say that most understand the importance of that message.”

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