AF Blakemore boss Jerry Marwood on Tuesday (19) has said that he takes “full responsibility” for the problems faced by Spar retailers in the wake of the pandemic across several areas of England and Wales, admitting the distributor was not ready for the shortages that arose in both HGV drivers and product range.
“Over the last two years, you have seen the best of AF Blakemore’s business and sometimes the worst,” Marwood reportedly said at a trade show.
“When lockdown lifted and shortages started to bite, we weren’t ready.”
The distributor serves Spar stores from the south-east of England, across the Midlands, up to Manchester and into Wales.
“We were no different, except we were trying to open a new distribution centre in Bedford at the same time,” he said, adding that Blakemore has been hit by shortages and supply problems in the same way as other businesses throughout the UK.
Marwood claimed that Blakemore had now “faced into the driver shortage” and invested in higher wages to try and plug the gaps.
Stressing the importance of remaining truly independent, group commercial director at AF Blakemore further said that some larger multiple retailers that have moved into wholesale in recent years had prioritised their company-owned outlets over independent stores when the going got tough, reports said.
To use this website you must be aged 18 years or over. Please verify your age before entering the site.
