Deals worth almost £1.9m were concluded across Fairway Foodservice’s two Meet the Member events in 2017.
The total amount across both events in 2017 smashes the previous record of £1.3m in 2016.
It continues a strong year for the buying group with two new members, Miller Foodservice and Young’s Foods, joining Fairway.
The bi-annual event gave members an opportunity to share information on the foodservice industry and talk to suppliers about their product lines.
Fairway chief executive Chris Binge, said: “It is great that members continue to surpass previous purchasing spends because it is indicative that the process works for them. And via formal and informal feedback from suppliers, we know that the event works well for them too, and that is important to us.
“There is a lot of talk about ‘win-win’ negotiations and ‘supply partnerships’ but that is what foodservice is all about – relationships at all levels of business.”
Suppliers ranged from multinational companies such as Unilever and D’Arta to British businesses, including Kara Foodservice.
Miller Foodservice’s managing director Garreth Wilson, said: “The event was fantastic for us. We have built relationships with new suppliers, as well as cemented relationships with our existing suppliers. We have purchased new products to add to our range, as well as increased quantities on our existing product orders.”
Sally Nicholson, national account manager at Kara Foodservice, said: “We love the Fairway Meet the Member event, and it provides fantastic value for us as a manufacturer.”
