Elit Rowland speaks to eight wholesalers from the highlands and lowlands of Scotland to reveal how collaboration, investment and diversification are helping to generate better sales and service.
With its low population density and high concentration of wholesalers, competition in Scotland is fierce, particularly in Glasgow, where operators are as little as a five-minute drive from one another. Add to that the increasing pressure from the multiples and discounters, and it’s no surprise that Scottish wholesalers are investing, expanding and diversifying to succeed. We spoke to some of the best operators to see how they are fighting back to secure long-term loyalty in a tough trading market.
Venturing out a little further, we also spoke with businesses on the surrounding islands, which face an even greater challenge: getting supplier support. While these businesses also face competition from the larger retailers, the remoteness of their locations can make it a challenge to get the supplier ‘face time’ they need, particularly as many key brands have made significant cuts to their field sales teams in the past few years.
But the fact remains that there are many great businesses in Scotland, all with fantastic stories to tell. In the eight articles below, we reveal how a mixture of talent is securing sales growth and customer loyalty.
