Fairway members rack up more deals
Value of meet the member agreements top £700,000
There were handshakes galore at Fairway Foodservice’s latest meet the member event as members and suppliers chalked up more than £700,000 worth of deals across the two-day event.
The total means that Fairway’s aggregated total from its two shows in 2018 is £1.8 million, which falls a few thousand short of its record of £1.9 million that was set last year.
Held at Drayton Manor Park in Tamworth, the event focused on new product development and introducing new suppliers to the buying group’s 20 members, with one-on-one and group meetings encouraging interaction.
The success of the twice-yearly events is a source of pride for Fairway’s Marketing and Events Manager, Richard Ellison, who paid homage to his team for the figures over the past two years.
“We’ve had a stunning 24 months of meet the member events, with £3.5m of deals,” said Ellison.
“What’s been very impressive is that as a team, we have secured the right mix of encouraging sales, as well as introducing new suppliers and NPD.
“It’s easy to just want to focus on numbers, but we strive to offer our members insight into innovation and alternative methods for business growth and success. The volume of deals completed at our meet the member events is incredible.”
A host of suppliers attended the event, from multi-national companies such as Unilever to big British businesses, including RH Amar – meaning there was a wide range of products on show, offering great value to members.
“We really value the Fairway meet the members events,” said Nick Williams, National Account Manager at Unilever Food Solutions. “We get to deal with all the key people from the wholesalers, and we have completed lots of incremental business.
“We also get to talk through the numbers and figures, as well as show off new product development and discuss the show’s deals.
“Our objectives were to continue to build relationships with Fairway’s members and to ensure they receive enough support and guidance. We achieved those goals.”
Fairway Fairway Foodservice meet the member RH Amar Unilever
