With many parts of the UK going back into local lockdowns, Foodservice and Retail wholesale customers within these areas will be taking huge financial hits. This could ultimately have serious implications for your own organisation.
To know where you stand, you really need to obtain an accurate up-to-date view of what is happening inside these lockdown areas. The good news is, SalesOut are now able to offer this game-changing town and postcode level data via our OneView platform.
React at a local level
This highly targeted data will enable you to plan, track and react at a local level. You’ll find out how many active customers there are in your category in each postcode area. You’ll be able to tell which sectors in the community have been hit hardest by the disruption, and you can also make an informed call on whether your range is suitably optimised to meet the changing local demand.
A good example of how each town and neighbourhood is facing very different challenges can currently be seen in the town of Bolton, Greater Manchester.
Sales falling by 33% in Bolton
Restaurants, bars and cafés in Bolton saw their sales fall by a devastating 33% in the first week of the local lockdown that was imposed on 7 September after cases of Covid had increased significantly in the area.
Ironically, this followed close on the heels of the ‘Eat out to help out’ initiative which had provided a big boost to the hospitality sector as restrictions began to ease after the initial lockdown.
Hospitality outlets in Bolton that were only allowed to offer takeaway and delivery services saw an immediate drop in revenue compared with other areas in Lancashire. Of course, having to close at 10pm only compounded the problem for many of these businesses.
Erratic ordering patterns
Data for the week ending 20 September, compiled by SalesOut’s OneView tool, showed a continuing decline in performance. The erratic ordering patterns recorded suggest that food outlets are finding it almost impossible to judge how much produce they are likely to be able to sell.
Armed with the insight provided by OneView’s targeted data, James Bielby of FWD, an organisation which represents food distributors, made a strong case for financial support from the government for wholesalers. He is asking for a package of measures including business rates relief.
“For Covid-prepared restaurants and pubs, and the wholesalers who supply them, losing a third of turnover in a week is close to fatal,” Bielby insisted. He then went on to warn that: “Wholesalers cannot sustain such levels of trade and survive, which means food supply to critical public sector infrastructure such as schools, care homes and hospitals will be cut off without financial support.”
Without the insight provided by OneView, the story of what is now happening in Bolton, and towns like it across the country would not be so easy to understand.
How to benefit from OneView
If you’re interested in the benefits of the highly localised data we can provide for Foodservice and Retail wholesale customers, please click here.
This service is available via an ongoing subscription to our OneView platform or as a one-off delivery to meet a specific requirement.