Great Scots: CJ Lang, Dundee

In the third part of our Great Scots series, Better Wholesaling speaks to Roy Williams to see how his Dundee-based company has been getting on.

Spar distributor CJ Lang is a top 20 UK wholesaler and says that a focus on range reviews, healthy eating and fresh produce will help it to drive business with retailers in the future. 

How do you help convenience stores to take on the multiple retailers?

There’s more competition than ever from multiple convenience stores and discounters, all offering a credible range across lots of categories. But we feel there is an opportunity to boost sales by helping our retailers manage space and carrying out reviews of their ranges. We are confident our retailers can offer a lot of value and create an element of discount in stores to help meet this demand. 

What are the biggest opportunities for wholesalers in Scotland to grow sales this year?

This summer in particular, there are great opportunities to help our retail customers take on the competition. We’re helping retailers in Scotland get involved in what is going to be an amazing sporting season, by displaying Commonwealth Games kits. Each kit contains Commonwealth-themed gondola headers, hanging boards, shelf cards, shelf stripping, bunting and a red stand kit.

What’s been CJ Lang’s biggest achievement in the past year?

One big achievement is that we are currently enjoying a growth in store numbers, with the majority of new recruits coming from other symbol groups. These retailers appreciate the discipline afforded by a symbol group but are looking to drive their businesses forward. 

Are you seeing any interesting trends driving the convenience market and how are you responding?

Consumers continue to place a strong focus on value, but this is combined now with a preference for fresh and healthy food choices. With this in mind, we have improved our overall fresh offer to retailers, as we know their customers want to buy more fresh food from convenience stores. 

This is part 3 of 8 of our Great Scots series. You can read the full feature in the June issue of Better Wholesaling magazine. Subscribe today to receive your copy.