Medina plans to expand its ambient offer

Medina Dairy is planning to expand the range of ambient products it delivers to independent retailers when it joins Landmark Wholesale in January.

Expanding its range to include key volume lines would allow retailers to spend more time at their own shop to drive sales, said trading and marketing director Steve Carter.

“Medina’s always been a highly competitive business that is able to supply its customers six days a week,” he said. “This makes all these other lines available for delivery six days a week too. Typically Medina drops off milk and bread at 6am or 7am, and then the shopkeeper goes to their cash & carry to buy other products.”

Carter said the range of products Medina would buy through Landmark had not yet been finalised, but that he hoped the extra range would add 10% to its £200m turnover.

Medina’s 525-strong delivery fleet was only used for eight or nine hours a day, Carter added, giving the dairy an easy way to expand its services without heavy investment. Medina was also in discussions about supplying Landmark members with its Watsons dairy products, he said.

Medina currently delivers dairy products under its Watsons brand directly to 7,000 independent retailers, and reaches a further 30,000 through small wholesalers. It also supplies bread and soft drinks