Jess Douglas (pictured forth from the left) is the chief operating officer of Confex
PH: What has been your most significant achievement over the past 12 months?
JD: Confex has continued to grow ahead of our competitors, ending the year having achieved 11.4% growth and exceeding £3bn turnover as a group. Confex trade shows and our Lanzarote conference saw record-level high attendance.
We have also continued to increase member dividends with group profits returned to Confex wholesalers which boosts our members’ businesses. Another significant achievement has to be our investment in technology, expanding our Confex Accelerate and Confex Insight platforms. It’s been a very busy 12 months and the future looks incredibly bright.
What is your unique selling point?
We have several. Diversity is a key selling point for Confex. We have the most diverse membership of all wholesale buying groups, which, in turn, means we work with the most diverse supplier partners and we offer all members access to more than 240 retail and foodservice brands.
We also have no joining fee. Not only are we the longest-standing buying group, but we also provide the best value. Head-office costs are funded by a very competitive levy on rebates.
We are governed by a member-led board with all profits shared according to member participation. Become a member of Confex and you will be paid a dividend each year. In addition, our experienced, dedicated and passionate head-office team is committed to working with members and suppliers in a collaborative and commercial capacity to grow their businesses.
We have provided exceptional value and head-office services to all types of wholesale businesses for more than 50 years and, as a member, you are in safe and experienced hands.
Read more: Confex launches savings club and reveals growth strategy at annual awards
How have you expanded and attracted new members over the past 12 months?
Our member benefits speak for themselves. We offer competitive terms, pricing and promotions across all product categories, and wholesalers of any size can develop their business while giving all members a share of group profits.
Not only does our head-office team provide industry-leading advice and insight for every member, but we also have dedicated business development managers ready to help grow your business with personalised support and advice.
In addition, we offer data-led market insight to help our members sell more products as well as retail and food-to-go clubs with additional promotional funding.
Members also have access to our award-winning own-brand range, a product and allergen specification resource, image library and a customer-facing magazine, plus we have a central distribution facility. We have something to offer to every type of wholesaler.
What are your plans to help members over the next 12 months?
We will maintain our focus on growth for the group, which has doubled in size and buying power post-pandemic. We are focused on four key strategic pillars, which are: developing the CORE own brand, learning from Confex Data Insight, developing further tech integration through the Confex Accelerate platform and enhancing supplier execution through the Confex Savings club.
Our target for the future is for Confex to grow to a £4bn turnover, which we will achieve through member growth, acquisition and further collaboration from within the wholesale sector.
What are the biggest challenges for your members over the next 12 months?
While inflation has now peaked, our biggest challenge as a sector is for price decreases to be implemented across the supply chain so that these ‘true prices’ can be passed on to the end user.
