Over-trade means extra focus – Matt Smith of Tayto

About 30% of our branded sales go through C&C/delivered wholesale. Given our over-trade in this channel, we invest significant focus and resources to support our customers who have continued to back our brands over many years.

We have a team of 13 covering the sector. Normally they would be out and about visiting most customers every few weeks. They are currently keeping in touch virtually but can’t wait to get out to meet people face-to-face again.

As the largest British-owned snack business, we are passionate about supporting independent retailers and the foodservice sector in what are likely to be challenging times ahead. C&C/wholesale is vital to the success of these sectors, and also our brands, which is why we enjoy working so closely with the experts in this channel to deliver the right range with the right deal.

Why are the service and product range you offer so important to C&Cs/delivered wholesalers?

As a family-owned business, we recognise how important it is for independent retailers and the out-of-home sector to have products that are not widely available in the major mults, and we have tailored our range to suit.

Our REAL Handcooked crisps have been specially developed for pubs and cafés with a range of 10 punchy flavours and distinctive packs that can command a premium price because they are not widely stocked (and discounted) in supermarkets. Similarly, we have developed a strong range of Golden Wonder £1 PMP packs so that independent retailers can offer great value in a part of the market that is in strong growth.

We also own the top three pork snacks brands (Mr Porky, Midland Snacks and Real Pork Co) and have developed new formats such as clipstrips and small shelf-ready cases that smaller stores can use to maximise sales of pork scratchings.

The wholesale channel accounts for over half of the sales of our Midland Snacks pork scratchings, and about a third of the sales of Golden Wonder, our largest brand.

How has your service been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?

We’ve seen particularly strong sales in convenience, as people look to shop more locally in stores without having to queue. As a business, we quickly responded to this shift in demand and we’ve been pulling out all the stops to keep up! The on-trade has clearly been a different story, but even here, we are seeing green shoots of recovery, with particularly high demand for pork scratching pubcards as venues re-stock.

How are you looking to develop your business through the C&C/delivered wholesale trade?

We ensure that we are closely aligned to our customers and their priorities, including using their mechanics to drive sales of our brands. We focus on having great display in depot through on and off-shelf merchandising, especially when landing NPD and executing promotions.

With more and more sales transitioning to delivered orders via the web, and sales through retail clubs increasing, we are prioritising these opportunities to drive growth.

We also regularly advertise our brands directly to retailers with coupons redeemable in C&C – this drives more trade into our customers.

Given we own the top three pork snacks brands, a key focus for us in the next year is landing our new range and helping customers maximise the opportunity to drive sales through the new products and formats we’re launching.

Can you outline any initiatives with C&Cs/delivered wholesalers that have led to a significant improvement in the sales/profits of your products?

Tayto has a wide portfolio of brands making us a ‘one stop shop’ for the category. This breadth can sometimes be a challenge and so in recent months we’ve got behind a very tight, core range, which has seen significant growth.

We picked five of our ‘big hitters’ – Midland Pork Scratchings, Transform-A-Snack Saucy BBQ £1, Transform-A-Snack Spicy £1, Ringos Cheese & Onion £1 and Transform-A-Snack Saucy BBQ 39p – and focused on driving them into deeper distribution. Results have been impressive with one product now stocked in over 3,000 more convenience stores than before, so we are now looking at how we build further on this success.

 Tel: Tayto (01536) 204200