Bestway turnover and earnings rise in annual figures for 2019/20

EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) increased more sharply, by 81%, from £20.8m in 2019 to £37.9m in 2020.

Bestway’s managing director, Dawood Pervez, said that one of the big tasks of the year had been integrating Bestway Retail into the business, with associated benefits of scale.

He said: “The year to end June 2020 saw new challenges with pressure from the grocery sector continuing with major supermarkets such as Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsburys entering the wholesale market.

“As a sector, we also had to absorb the continued impact of the National Living Wage as well as the additional costs and associated uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and Brexit.

“Our commitment to delivering improved service and convenience to customers proved to be the right approach.

“The continued focus and investment in the supply chain (and the business as a whole), has helped us offer better service levels alongside a growing emphasis on our online and digital strategies, which have been a catalyst in meeting the needs and changing behaviours of both our customers and the end consumer.”

Pervez added that coping with Covid in 2020 had been a key priority.

He said: “We moved with agility and spent significant time and resource in ensuring all sites were robust from a health and safety perspective.

“This was a key priority to ensure protection for both our team here at Bestway, and our customers – whether in depot or for delivered services.”

Since the end of the period covered by the figures Bestway has acquired Costcutter, increasing its retail division by 1500 stores.