Unitas has announced a full rebrand of its foodservice side of the business for 2020, as well as a number of changes on the retail side.
Announced at the buying group’s first ever conference in Portugal last month, the event was attended by more than 300 delegates from 130 different members and suppliers.
“For 2020, our plans are ambitious,” said managing director Darren Goldney. “We’re continually looking at new ways to drive up sales and profitability for both members and suppliers.”
“Our plans for 2020 include a full rebrand for our foodservice side of the business which is in significant growth, plus some really innovative changes in retail. We’re expanding the scale of Plan for Profit and introducing new initiatives, such as Picture Portal, which is dramatically improving promotional execution,” he added.
Delegates also heard how 2018 was a time of consolidation and transition for the buying group, with Unitas setting out its aim to be a sustainable, first-choice business partner.
Goldney then explained how 2019 has been spent streamlining the business, creating one point of contact, one event programme, one central payment system, one digital platform, one promotional programme, and one core range scheme, as examples to ensure lower operational costs and more efficient processes.
Other plans include continuing with the three fascias, which equate to more than 1,000 UK stores, with plans to recruit an additional 120 stores per year. A new retailer magazine will also launch in January 2020.
For the aforementioned foodservice side, a brand new core range and own brand guide will be launched in the early part of next year, alongside new promotional programmes and materials for both foodservice and on-trade, with a new magazine launched in Q3 alongside a new website and app.
