It’s a real feather in Blakemore’s cap that it’s won the M&S branded distribution contract from Booker. Less than six months ago, M&S was acknowledging the help and support of Tesco’s wholesale operation in maintaining deliveries in the wake of the cyberattack. But it’s been working with Booker for 17 years, supplying the likes of Marmite, BrewDog Punk IPA, Soreen malt loaf, Bold, Vaseline and other sacred branded goods (the exact range changing over the years) since CEO Sir Stuart Rose first set M&S out on its journey to enable a ‘full shop’.
On the one hand, the switch is quite damning about Booker, as one of the key benefits for M&S in working with AFB was the wholesaler’s willingness to make deliveries to M&S stores seven days a week as opposed to Booker’s five. And while M&S hasn’t referenced the prices it’s negotiated with Blakemore, it’s telling that a regional Spar wholesaler seems able to compete with the UK’s biggest wholesaler (and one with access to Tesco’s even greater buying power) on price.
On the other hand, that’s doing a disservice to Blakemore, which is so much more than a regional Spar wholesaler and retailer these days. Indeed, for many years, it’s been one of the best and most efficient distribution businesses in the UK. Aside from its long history with Spar, Blakemore remains a key member of the Unitas buying group, through which it supplies non-Spar retailers. It also has a long-established foodservice arm delivering to the leisure and hospitality industry including its own Philpotts sandwich chain.
And last but not least is Blakemore Fine Foods, the wholesaler’s fine food distribution arm, which offers fantastic synergies that M&S can tap into. That arm delivers products across the country into Co-ops and Waitrose stores, as well as farm shops, independents and organisations including the National Trust. In essence, Blakemore is a pureplay delivered monster and that – along with its high regard within Spar – is why it remains the clear favourite to tie up a deal for fellow Spar wholesaler Appleby Westward, which was put up for sale by Spar Group in June.
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