Wholesalers save millions with Unitas Procurement

Unitas members have collectively saved £2.97m on non-resale purchases such as stationery, energy, packaging and payment solutions since signing up to Unitas Procurement, an exclusive benefit for members of the buying group

The service, a partnership with the cost, procurement and carbon specialist Auditel, negotiates preferential rates and service levels on purchases, and reduces the time members’ teams spend on sourcing deals. Rather than simply source the same products cheaper, Auditel works closely with each individual member to understand their business needs.

“We provide strategic procurement services rather than traditional transactional buying,” said Sean Connaughton, of Auditel. “Real savings don’t come from buying the same things cheaper, but from changing behaviours and looking to do things differently.

“As an example, a Unitas member was using cash in transit services for five collections per week. By working with them and analysing their requirements, we pointed them towards installing Smart Safe technology where each day they would deposit cash which would be immediately credited to their account but collected weekly, removing the cost of daily cash-in-transit collections.”

New Unitas Wholesale member Direct Line Supplies (DLS) made significant savings in excess of £18,000 within just three weeks of joining the group earlier this year. “The savings have been incredible, particularly on our payment solutions and fuel cards, and we’re now placing orders for stationery,” said Sonal Sarvaiya, general manager, DLS.

John Kinney, managing director, Unitas Wholesale said: “At a time when margins are under pressure and wholesalers are having to manage cost increases, the incredible savings this service has achieved across the group have never been more welcome. This is a really powerful benefit for members as we go into the new year.”

Auditel buying group Direct Line Supplies John Kinney Procurement Sean Connaughton Sonal Sarvaiya Unitas Wholesale