Member Article

Rebrand and new-look own-brand range lead to record sales at Fairway Foodservice Meet the Member event

The first Fairway Foodservice Meet the Member event since the buying group’s rebrand, achieved a record £1.2m of sales.

Fairway also introduced its new-look own-brand range, Fairway Assured, prior to the two-day event, as well as launched pasta, king prawns, and tuna in the range.

The sales figure beats the previous best of £1m set 12 months ago, and Fairway’s marketing and events manager Richard Ellison believes the impact of the buying group’s changes speaks for itself.

He said: “Our 20 members have responded incredibly well to our new branding with positive comments and another record-breaking Meet the Member event.

“Our new packaging for our Fairway Assured range has an improved design which is now more functional for chefs and warehouse pickers, and having it on display for our member wholesalers allowed them to see the benefits first hand.

“In addition, we continued our focus on introducing new suppliers and NPD, as well as encouraging sales.

“Suppliers and members tell us that our Meet the Member events are the ideal mix of deals, insight into innovation, networking, and socialising. It’s a formula that our team has worked hard to create and we’re thrilled with the £1.2m of sales and the feedback received.”

The bi-annual event was held at Drayton Manor Theme Park in Tamworth. The 39 suppliers ranged from multinational companies such as Unilever to successful British businesses, including artisan bakery Truly Treats.

Adam Emberson, director at Devon-based Truly Treats, said: “We are continually increasing our volume with Fairway’s members and these Meet the Member events are crucial in facilitating that growth.

“Consumers are more adventurous than ever before, and that plays into our strengths. There is a demand for innovation and our 1-2-1 slots with each wholesaler allow us to showcase our latest creations.”

Darren Gaulton, managing director of Fairway member Charles Saunders, said: “The Meet the Member events are more than about sales for us. Our 1-2-1 discussions with suppliers allow us to discuss the latest trends as well as other industry topics that help us stay at the forefront of foodservice.

“In addition, through networking opportunities at social events, we continue to develop new and cement existing relationships with key people that support our business aims and vision.”

Fairway Foodservice is a buying and marketing organisation, which operates on behalf of wholesalers based in the UK, Ireland and Spain. Founded in 1984 by five frozen food wholesale distribution companies, it has grown from a collective turnover of £7m in 1984 to £801.5m in 2019.

Alongside access to Fairway Foodservice’s extensive range of products, members benefit from collective buying power on a number of lines and significant marketing support.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .