Cash & carry and delivered wholesalers were urged to help independent retailers fight the multiples on impulse at the Federation of Whole-sale Distributors' Everyday Impulse conference this week.
Alan Toft, FWD director general said: "Impulse is one of the last bastions of the independent retailer, it is a category which is not naturally replicated by the superstores, and we need to fight them on it. We stood by and watched as they built their business in the Sixties and Seventies. We must not dance to their tune on impulse as we did with grocery."
The FWD is urging members to take slow moving soft drinks, confectionery and snacks out of the equation, in favour of a limited selection of best selling lines from the big brands.
Toft and speakers from sponsors Britvic, Cadbury Trebor Bassett and Walkers Snacks told C&Cs and delivered wholesalers to embrace modern technology, reduce stock lines, look at space management and improve merchandising as the multiples move in on convenience.
But case studies of range streamlining at Lowrie's, Blakemore's and Goodwins showed rationalisation of impulse lines over the last year is paying dividends in terms of profit.
Peter Lowrie, md of the Newcastle based C&C Lowrie's said 25% of impulse lines have been delisted in the last year and profits are up 12%.
Delivered wholesaler Good-wins has also pruned its impulse range by 850 lines over the last 12 months, with the rationalisation set to continue this year.
Toft urged wholesalers not to lose sight of the category's importance to independents.
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