Palmer and Harvey is planning to boost business by increasing its support of retailers in Northern Ireland next year.

The wholesaler will focus on a strong regional proposition, with more locally-produced products in comparison with the mainland, and the growth of the chilled category within convenience.

“Our agenda is to increase market share and now we’re established in Northern Ireland, we can focus on the chilled sector,” said P&H director of operations Julian Streeter.

Due to the size of the region, P&H has acknowledged the potential of same-day delivery to retailers, which would be a first for the wholesaler.

P&H’s Northern Ireland warehouses are currently delivering to 300 independent retailers, about 10% of c-stores, but Streeter plans to grow that figure by recognising “local really is local here”.

Streeter said: “We can get to any customers in less than two hours but there are opportunities here and it’s exciting.”