Unitas will be offering its membership £2m in incremental revenue in return for their participation in the group’s central promotions, publications and events, with details of the criteria for accessing the income set to be shared with members.
The More for More scheme will reward wholesalers who the buying group claims can demonstrate a higher level of engagement in schemes such as its URP promotions programme, the retailer support portal Plan for Profit, customer-facing promotional materials and the buying group’s flagship trade show and conference.
Original announced at a recent Senior Supplier Briefing, managing director John Kinney explained the details today at the company’s connect25 trade show in Liverpool: “Our mission is to be a fitter, fairer and faster organisation, delivering incremental revenue for our members, and return on investment for suppliers,” he said.
“We have made great progress on being fitter – increasing the revenue returned to members by 17% in the last year, and 35% over the last five years, and we have helped members reduce their overheads by £3m through our Unitas Procurement scheme. We are also faster – increasing members cash flow through more efficient financial systems, reducing the days taken to process payments.
Read more: Unitas reveals £2m bonus fund for members
“Now we need to be fairer – ensuring that those members who contribute most to the group get the most out of it. This is why we are putting aside more than £2m in additional rewards for those who actively engage, and incentivise others to do the same.”
More for More will give wholesalers the opportunity to more than recoup their annual membership fee from the additional revenue stream. This approach is said to help members navigate a challenging trading environment while demonstrating to suppliers that their investments generate strong returns, securing long-term investment in Unitas Wholesale.
Unitas interim chair Dr Jason Wouhra OBE, chief executive of Lioncroft Wholesale, said“Offering members a greater financial incentive to actively participate in Unitas’ central schemes will appeal to wholesalers’ entrepreneurial instincts and will ensure those who put the most into the group will be rewarded proportionately.
“It will also incentivise members to drive compliance in joint ventures with our suppliers, which we know is the key to building mutually beneficial relationships. This new model will help to drive the right behaviours and will be vital to unlocking future investment and sustainable growth for members individually and for the group as a whole.”
