Midlands told to b:direct

A one-stop-shop delivery service for the catering and on-trade sectors has been launched by AF Blakemore Wholesale, under the b:direct banner.

The venture will offer a full range of products, including fresh produce, to more than 3,000 customers in the West Midlands.

The next-day service will initially operate from Blakemore’s Wolverhampton depot, before expanding across its nine other sites to achieve national coverage.

The aim is to create a one order, one delivery, one invoice service.

A 180-page full-colour catalogue will be distributed to potential customers in the area to showcase the range, which includes a number of premium lines and Fairtrade products.

The fresh produce offer will be supplied by wholesaler HS Leason & Sons Ltd, which already operates concessions in Blakemore’s cash and carries in Wolverhampton and Walsall.

The service was previewed at the Wolverhampton depot on Monday, and goes live on April 28.

Richard Smith, business development manager at b:direct, told FPJ: “The fresh side of the business is really the crux of the service, and the basis of why it offers next-day deliveries. A lot of the other products will ride on the back of that service.

“The venture has been developed for around 12 months, in response to declining sales in the cash and carry industry and a shift in the on-trade market, as since the smoking ban pubs have increasingly introduced food.

“This represents a substantial investment for Blakemore,” he added.

Sam Leason, managing director at HS Leason & Sons Ltd, told FPJ: “The b:direct venture will give us national coverage, so this is another piece in the jigsaw puzzle for us. We have taken on another seven members of staff in preparation for the b:direct venture, and we are going to work closely with growers in Evesham and Worcester under the b:direct name to supply a full range of local and imported produce.”