Bidfood Scotland boosts sales of Scottish products by 28%

Bidfood Scotland has increased sales of Scottish products by 28% following a successful year of collaboration with Scotland Food & Drink.

Katie Sillars (left) of Bidfood with Stephanie Prichard of Scotland Food & Drink.

Over the past 12 months, 334 new customers have bought into Bidfood Scotland’s Scottish range, and an additional 30,000 cases of Scottish products have made their way into kitchens across the UK.

This success is partly attributed to a strong focus on enhancing accessibility for Scottish suppliers, chefs, and caterers through the dedicated Scottish shop on the Bidfood Scotland Direct platform.

With the support of Scotland Food & Drink, the dedicated Scottish page has driven a 17% surge in online sales of Scottish products, now making up 56.4% of total sales. This increase underscores the power of increased digital visibility and local pride, with the results coinciding with the industry’s first-ever Scottish Food & Drink September campaign.

Scotland Food & Drink has delivered several impactful initiatives to promote the Bidfood Scotland collaboration, including supporting a digital campaign aimed at chefs while working to enhance the visibility of Scottish suppliers on Bidfood Scotland’s e-commerce platform.

In-person events like ‘Meet the Buyer’, held in November 2023, have offered pre-selected producers the opportunity to pitch their products and secure a coveted Scotland-wide listing on the Bidfood Scotland website.

Katie Sillars, head of commercial growth initiatives UK at Bidfood, said: “The Meet the Buyer event last November was a game-changer, enabling us to introduce 39 new products that have exceeded our expectations. Since their launch in March 2024, these products have achieved 872% growth, reaching nearly 1,000 new customers. Even more impressive is that 79% of these sales have been driven by Bidfood Scotland Direct, marking a powerful shift in how we promote and present our local ranges to customers.”

Stephanie Pritchard, head of UK market development at Scotland Food & Drink, added: “The results of the Bidfood Scotland partnership are remarkable, but not surprising. We know that there is a multi-billion-pound opportunity for Scottish food and drink producers to grow within the UK and abroad.

“Scottish products enjoy a strong reputation, and we need to leverage that to grow our sector. Through this partnership with Bidfood Scotland, and through the wider programme of market-building under our national strategy, we can achieve sustainable growth for the whole industry.”