SWA continues its relentless work to support Scotland’s wholesalers

The Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA) continues to work relentlessly in support of its members.

Colin Smith: ‘Like an iceberg, 80% of the SWA’s work is never seen or necessarily understood by the membership. Yet without that work, the channel would be significantly weaker.’

That was the clear message from chief executive Colin Smith at the SWA’s annual conference, which was held today (28 May) in Glasgow and focused on building wholesale resilience.

The Association has a three-year strategy that concentrates on data & communication; sustainability; training & development; and advocacy & engagement.

As part of this, the SWA is putting the same request to every political party and stakeholder: secure the supply chain, sustain a skilled and resilient sector, and support the conditions for growth.

Smith added: “Our member surveys ensure that we’re continuously taking stock, using the data to validate our direction and as leverage when we’re making the case for the channel when it matters most.”

Wholesalers in Scotland that responded to the SWA’s latest survey are currently absorbing 1.7% of the increased costs they’re facing, while only 43% of the channel has seen any sales growth in the past 12 months “and this is probably purely inflationary growth”, said Smith.

He added: “While optimism does exist, only 28% are actually expecting above-inflation growth within the next six months.”

What’s more, a substantial proportion of wholesalers’ investment is helping to manage staffing costs and shortages in the face of recruitment/retention challenges. That’s instead of investing in areas that could drive growth. More than half (53%) of members cited investment in technology and AI as a priority, indicating a shift towards automation and efficiency.

Smith urged wholesalers to continue to tell the SWA what matters to them. “This is how we make sure the SWA stays useful, relevant and focused on the real world that you’re operating in,” he said.

The Association’s current strategy builds on what it has already achieved. For example, the SWA’s ‘Delivering Growth Through Wholesale’ programme, now in its fourth year, has trained over 200 Scottish producers and delivered an incremental £4.5 million into wholesalers’ business.

Meanwhile, the SWA’s ‘Wholesale Local Food Champion’ programme is currently being refreshed, ready for a new cohort in the autumn who will join the 39 people who have already been trained. Linked to this, the Scottish Government-supported ‘Wholesale Local Food & Drink Fund’ delivered £1.3 million in incremental sales of Scottish produce in its first year alone.

In addition, through the SWA’s seat on the Scottish Government’s Zero Emission Truck Taskforce, six of its wholesale members have joined three different eHGV consortia over the last 12 months, each with a multi-million-pound funding request awaiting sign-off from the new Scottish Government.

“If this is successful, it would be a significant win for the Association and our members, with funding paving the way to transition our fleet to net zero over the next 15 years,” he reported.

As for the forthcoming Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), Smith is helping to lead discussions about the development of the initiative. “Alongside my counterpart James Bielby of FWD, we’re working to make sure that DRS works for wholesalers and for their customers,” he said.

The SWA is also engaged with local authorities on public procurement, and with the Scottish Food Commission on the Good Food Nation plans.

Smith commented: “Like an iceberg, 80% of the SWA’s work is never seen or necessarily understood by the membership. Yet without that work, the channel would be significantly weaker.”

Other speakers and panel members at the conference included Tom Slaven, president of the SWA; Jim Cummiskey, CEO of Fáilte Group; David Cooke, COO of Unitas; Tanya Pepin, director of TWC; Jayne Swanson, head of public affairs at SWA; and Graham Urquhart, director of sales at Scotsman Hospitality, whose portfolio includes the iconic venue Oran Mor, where the SWA conference was held.

A full report on the event will be included in the June issue of Cash & Carry Management.