Cash-and-carry giant Bestway Wholesale is to close its huge Plymouth depot and concentrate South West peninsula operations in Exeter with jobs put at risk.
Bestway’s giant depot in Honicknowle, Plymouth, is used by dozens of independent retailers and catering businesses to collect foodstuff, alcohol, tobacco products and other goods.
But the company is shifting its business model to concentrate more on deliveries directly to customers. So the wholesaler has decided to concentrate Devon operations at its cash-and-carry warehouse in Matford Park, Exeter.
It means the Plymouth operation, where 41 people work, will be surplus to requirements. Staff are in a consultation process but the firm said it is determined to redeploy as many workers in other roles elsewhere in the company as is possible. But it confirmed that “some redundancies will be inevitable.”
The Plymouth depot opened in 2005 and provides deliveries to Bestway customers in the region as well as offering customers the opportunity to click-and-collect. Customers will now be invited to use the Exeter depot instead. The Plymouth building will close its doors permanently on September 2.
Dawood Pervez, managing director at Bestway Wholesale, said: “Our thoughts are with our colleagues who have been directly affected by this announcement and we are currently looking to redeploy as many of our workers as possible across to our Exeter depot from where deliveries and business continues as normal.
“Like all businesses, we are looking to the future and absorbing the new environment we are operating in. Trading conditions over the past six months have evolved and many of our customers continue to enjoy the convenience of our delivered service, an area that is increasing.
“We are looking to reshape our infrastructure in order to remain fit for the future and enhance the service we offer, both to our delivered customers and those who like to collect direct from our depot which remains an important service feature - whilst also protecting as many jobs as possible”
He said existing collect retail customers at Plymouth will be offered a delivered service from Exeter and added: “We have started servicing our delivered retail customers from Plymouth to our Exeter branch, and feedback to date has been extremely positive.
“The vast majority of customers will benefit from the outstanding delivered service provided by our colleagues based at the Exeter branch.”
Mr Pervez added: “I want to thank all of our colleagues for their hard work and commitment during this exceptionally challenging time.”
Bestway, which also has operations in Pakistan, is the UK’s second largest wholesaler, serving 125,000 independent caterers and retailers from 64 warehouses, including Plymouth’s, and also one in Bristol.
In 2019 Bestway increased turnover by 13% to £2.3billion, partly thanks to its retail division, which also includes the Bargain Booze, Select Convenience, Central Convenience and Wine Rack outlets.
Bestway was also considered to have performed well during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, as its owned convenience stores, and convenience store customers, flourished outside of city centres and transport hubs.
