Wholesale group Sugro has recorded a 10% year on year growth, driven by increased demand for multipacks, blocks and sharing bags from the confectionery category.

The company’s head of trading and marketing Yulia Petitt told RN Sugro saw a significant shift in demand from single serve formats to the larger formats in crisps and snacks during the 12 months to the end of October.

Explaining how Sugro helped support its retailers with this growth, Pettit said: “We have been working closely with the suppliers on stock availability for the group.

“Most suppliers have managed to accommodate frequent changes to their production schedule based on fluctuations in consumer demand quickly and efficiently, with changes resulting in increased capacity on products in high-demand and subsequently increased sales for suppliers, wholesalers and retailers.

“However, some suppliers were still favouring supermarkets over wholesalers when it came to deliveries and allocations. Overall, as a group, we had a really good level of support from the suppliers on stock availability which resulted in a strong growth for the group year to date.”

The group has also developed an app for its wholesale members, enabling their retail customers to browse products and pay through their smartphones. Delivery and click and collect services are also being added to the app.