Fairway Foodservice has strength in numbers

Fairway Foodservice unites food wholesalers to distribute their products nationawide. Kerry Rogan profiles the company.

There is, as the saying goes, strength in numbers.

Teaming up to benefit from a collective strength, whether for buying or selling, has proved useful to companies and individuals for many years.

Frozen food suppliers got in on the "collective" act several years ago and have been quietly building up a wide-ranging network of wholesalers under the name of Fairway Foodservice.

Fairway was founded in 1984 by five distribution companies and now has 18 member companies with 24 depots across the UK, the Channel Islands and Ireland.

Fairway buys frozen food products, as well as grocery and ambient products, from manufacturers, which can then be distributed by its network of wholesalers. Costs are kept to a minimum because publicans in, for example, Lancashire, can buy the products and have them delivered from a local distribution centre, instead of from miles away.

Chris Binge, Fairway's chief executive, says the company's strength lies in the combined experience of all its members - something that also sets it apart from its rivals.

"The companies have so much experience and they each absolutely understand what's going on in their market with their customers," he says.

Fairway sells the products it sources to more than 50,000 outlets nationwide - including many pubs. It sells to independent outlets and regional and national chains.

"All our members are frozen food wholesalers," explains Chris. "And about six do frozen, chilled and ambient foods.

We've now got national coverage of frozen and grocery products."

The products supplied by Fairway are either sold under the manufacturer's brand name - the recent price list includes products from Bernard Matthews, the Authentic Food Company, Lamb Weston and Amoy among many others - or under the Fairway brand.

More than 250 products are Fairway-branded and the company also exclusively distributes Premier poultry, Vive Le Pain continental breads and Prestige ice creams and sorbets.

"The Fairway brand covers high-volume commodity products," says Chris "It's been very successful."

With a huge foodservice market in the UK and Ireland, the amount of food that could be distributed by Fairway is very large. But the company has a careful and considered process that lets its members decide which products Fairway should supply.

Fairway now has a turnover of more than £125m every year, £100m of which comes from frozen food, 50,000 customers and sells more than 2,000 products.

This means the quality and type of products supplied under the Fairway name are always of a consistent standard.

"New products are vital to our business, without them we would stagnate," explains Chris.

"Twice a year we send a letter to all our existing suppliers and some new ones, inviting them to submit details of products they'd like us to distribute."

"We have a look at them all at head office - we're always looking for inventive and creative products - and then we invite about eight suppliers to come to one of our meetings."

Representatives from all of Fairway's member companies attend the twice-annual meetings to decide which products the company should distribute.

While the members see it as a useful networking and social event - with a bit of work thrown in - it is not as much fun for the eight invited suppliers.

Each of the suppliers gives a short speech, detailing their products, describing how it is made, how much it costs and suggested serving suggestions, and then the Fairway members all grab a fork and start tasting.

After the tasting the members sit down together, discuss the products and decide if it will sell in their market.A vote is taken, and if a majority of members agree, the product will be part of Fairway's new price list.

Although being distributed by Fairway is important for established companies such as Bernard Matthews, for smaller, less-well known companies it can mean a vital boost to business and increase sales by an enormous amount.

The price lists are launched in September and March each year and new products from the previous six months are listed in a "new product" section, to make sure they catch customers' eyes.

During the six months between price lists new products are launched gradually, on A4 additions to the printed lists. "It means there's a continual drip-feed of new products and keeps the customers interested," says Chris.

The company offers licensees menu development ideas and point-of-sale material which increases sales of new products.

Because Fairway is both a national company and, at each members' level, a local company, it has more than one price list.

"We have a national price list which we use for national distribution to large companies. The national prices are set at Fairway head office" says Chris.

"Our members also have local prices, set by them, for products that are distributed locally. They decide what prices to sell them at, because they all know their respective markets the best."

It is the local focus to Fairway that makes it a strong player in foodservice for independent pubs.

As eating out in pubs increases and more entrepreneurial licensees and chefs take on freehold pubs, Fairway believes it will become even more important.

"We're very proud of what we've done so far," says Chris. "And we're looking forward to becoming an even bigger player in the future."

Fairway Foodservice​

Amisfield HouseAmisfield RoadHipperholmeHalifaxHX3 8NE01422 319100.

Fairway Foodservice facts​

• Founded in 1984
• 50,000 customers
• More than 2,000 products
• £130m turnover
• 18 members with 24 depots
• 250 items sold under exclusive brands - Fairway, Premier poultry, Vive le Pain breads and Prestige ice cream
• Covers the UK, Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands
• Sells to independent pubs as well as national and regional pub companies
• Fairway Foodservice's main role is purchasing, as well as creating promotions and sales programmes, and passing on information on legal, health and safety, environmental and food hygiene issues.