Talking Retail Grocery and product news for independent retailers
Criteria for becoming a member:
We ask for a minimum spend of £18,000 a month and are looking for progressive retailers who want to modernise and progress their businesses.
Costs of becoming a member: None
What financial packages or credit terms do you offer? Retailers wanting to join can discuss this with us.
Minimum length of contract: Three years.
Do you offer a trading area agreement? If so, within what radius is a member assured exclusivity? This is managed on a case-by-case basis to make sure each Best-one retailer is best able to maximise sales for their store and to meet the needs of their local shoppers. What is most important is that retailers know and understand the demographic profile of their store and that the range and service are tailored to their store’s needs.
What options do retailers have for ordering goods?
They can order through EPoS, via the website, using our in-store scanners, through telesales or via the apps.
How many own-label lines do you have listed and what are the own-label ranges?
We list about 400 lines, across Best-one and Best-one Inspired.
What arrangements do you have for fresh produce and chilled and frozen foods?
We have a dedicated central distribution warehouse that deals with all chilled and fresh products, ensuring retailers have access to a comprehensive range. Last year, we invested more than £1m in the development of this site to cope with the scale of the fresh business we cater for.
How many of your retailers have EPoS and how do you encourage them to take on new technology packages? More than 75% of our retailers now have EPoS. We find ways to help retailers install technology and work closely with them to interrogate the data to understand the opportunities for each individual site, showing how the technology can add value to their business.
Do you invest in consumer advertising?
We provide stores with shopper leaflets to promote the store offers. In addition, we have launched a shopper app, Jisp, that enables shoppers to see the offers, shop, pay and have their goods delivered.
What promotions do you offer? Best-one provides 1,500 exclusive deals each month for retailers and 50 consumer deals each month, including 15 supported by POS to drive footfall and basket spend in-store. POS includes window bills, shelf-edge labels and leaflets.
What category management help can you provide?
We manage more than 18 category reviews each year, providing Best-one retailers with market insight, merchandising advice and a list of must-stocks to drive basket spend. This is communicated via category advice print-outs (also available on our website) and through our retail development seminars. When a business development manager visits a retailer, they will review sales on a category level to make sure space is allocated correctly by category to generate sales.
What other support measures for retailers have you introduced recently and what do you plan to introduce in the near future?
A key area is the investment we provide to support retailers with store development – everything from a chilled range review to a full store refit. In the very near future, we will be launching improvements in our digital areas, with an emphasis on making it easier for retailers to run their business.
Why should an independent retailer join your group?
As the UK’s largest independent food and drink wholesaler, Bestway has the scale and especially since the acquisition of Costcutter Supermarkets Group, the purchasing power and expertise to help our customers through challenging circumstances like the past few months. Bestway is a family-owned business and we hold more stock than most PLCs and smaller wholesalers. We are committed to supporting independent entrepreneurial retailers, as this has been the foundation of our success for 45 years of trading and 19 years as Best-one.
Since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, we have been working hard to ensure we have the right products available for our customers. Our availability continued to be strong and we have contingency teams and plans in place, reviewing stock levels daily. We champion retailers and are the voice of the independents.
CONTACT
Fascia name: Best-one
Address: 2 Abbey Road, Park Royal, London, NW10 7BW
Telephone: 020 8453 1234
E-mail: Enquiries via the website
Website: best-one.co.uk
First contact for potential members: Enquiries via the best-one.co.uk website
FACTFILE
Average store size: 1,100 sq ft
Average store turnover: £18,000 a week
Number of UK retail members: 1,710 stores
Names of all UK fascias: best-one
RETAILER PROFILE
Owner: Lewis Prager
Store name: Best-one
Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Number of years as a member: Three years
Turnover before and after membership: about £8,500 a week before, £11,500 after.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 6.30am to 9.30pm; Saturday 8.30am to 9.30pm; Sunday 8.30am to 9pm.
Main advantages of membership: The business development support offered by Best-one managers to help me grow my business, as well as the rebate scheme, which allows me to re-invest in my business.
Why did you choose to join this group rather than one of its competitors? It was the support offered by the team to help me with my busines plans, setting and achieving my targets and the ongoing business support from the team. Also the fact there was no joining fee made a big difference.
