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provide a bulk loading advantage and then consolidate multiple products onto one truck for delivery so the retailers get the freshness and variety they are looking for.”
Kohlhas stresses specialty fruits and vege- tables are more than just an added bonus; they’re essential. “But, not all stores can handle a bulk case of turmeric or habanero peppers,” she says. “We o er 5-pound splits, or any weight our program clients want, of a diverse range of specialties so produce managers order only as much as they need.
Mixed pallets and DSD (Direct Store Delivery) are the norm. Eliminating excess inventory in the DC (Distribution Center) and at store level decreases shrink and frees up space to play with enhancing product assortment.”
Feighery reports Procacci is a direct importer for tropical and ethnic items, servicing retail customers in these categories. “Other areas where chains do not normally have enough volume to go direct and rely on us include organics, seasonal items such as
“Wholesalers ll the
supply chain gap with their
exibility and never-say-
no attitude. Wholesalers
o er same-day or
next-day shorts/orders to
customers. It’s important
for retailers and foodser-
vice customers to not be
out of product, and this is
where wholesalers step in.”
— Andrew Scott, Nickey Gregory
fruit baskets or chestnuts, and oral,” he says. Assists, when the market is short or long, are another winning play for wholesalers and their customers. “Wholesalers ll the supply chain gap with their exibility and never-say-no attitude,” says Scott of Nickey Gregory. “Wholesalers o er same-day or next-day shorts/orders to customers. It’s important for retailers and foodservice customers to not be out of product, and this
is where wholesalers step in.”
Kohlhas notes John Vena Inc. supports
spot buys by pulling product from a variety of sources when one growing region comes up short. “Retailers of all sizes would be well- served by making a strategic investment in a vendor partnership with a wholesale distrib- utor they trust,” she says. “It’s a move that adds value in-store everyday if you let it, but you’ll see the big payo when times are tough.”
PULLING FROM THE LOCAL BENCH
Local and organic programs are partic- ular categories where retailers can utilize a wholesaler’s already-existing lineup. “Whole- salers act as a distribution center in this case,” explains Feighery. “It’s not feasible or advan- tageous for many retailers to buy direct on these products,” he says. “With organic, we’re talking about the synergy of being able to buy in volume, pull a full truck and get the product where it needs to go. You have to use a wholesaler.”
When a self-distributed retailer wants products, such as a broader variety of organics, Four Seasons’ Ste y explains, it may not be logistically sound to source FOB because it can add slots to its warehouse. “A
76 / OCTOBER 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS