Total Produce operations director Graham Broomhall told FPJ last week that his company’s wholesale operation is ready to cut through the crunch and take advantage of the habitual Christmas sales rise.
Talking in Southampton, Broomhall, pictured, said that the firm had already seen the uplift begin in the last week of November, after a quiet month, as orders begin to come through to satisfy demand over the festive period.
He said: “During October and November, we have not seen a drop-off in the number of customers, but it is fair to say that people have been buying nine where they might previously have bought 10 - so volume has fallen. But there has already been an increase in volume as the festive season starts - people will still go out to staff parties and seasonal events, and that will naturally bring more buoyancy to the markets.
“The independent catering trade - the hotels, restaurants, pubs and clubs - will pick up through December and that is a part of the trade that our wholesale businesses are strong in. So there is some light there that we just didn’t see in November.”
Many in the wholesale trade are already spreading the doom and gloom for January, but Broomhall believes the best approach is to concentrate on Christmas first. “Obviously, we will lay our plans as best we can. January this year was a great month for bananas, for instance, but the great thing in this business is that no two years are ever the same.
“We will deal with January and February when we get there,” he added.
So what does Broomhall want for Christmas? “I hope for a dry, cold, sunny December - not too mild, but crisp and certainly not wet. We should never forget that the weather is our best salesman,” he said.
