Parfetts boosts the retail advisor team

Wholesaler Parfetts is expanding its team of specialist advisors to support retailers across the UK by recruiting five additional retail advisors to take its retail development team to a total of 30 advisors.

In addition to the RDAs, the retailer support team also includes three recently appointed regional managers, four store development managers and four merchandisers.

The appointments are being driven by Parfetts network of Go Local stores increasing to over 1,200 locations nationally, and the ongoing success and expansion of its state-of-the-art wholesale depot in Birmingham, which opened earlier this year.

The 92,000sq ft Birmingham depot created 100 new jobs at launch, and is the wholesaler’s eighth UK depot, adding to its existing sites at Aintree, Anfield, Halifax, Middlesbrough, Sheffield, Somercoates and Stockport. The £5m Birmingham depot was officially opened by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street in March 2023.

Commenting on the additions to the team, Steve Moore, head of retail at Parfetts, said: “As an employee-owned business, we are focused on supporting retailers and helping them optimise their relationship with Parfetts. Employee ownership also allows us to invest more in service provision and retailer support.

“We have ambitious plans for 2024, and the expansion of our team of RDAs will ensure we can support more retailers and maintain great service levels. The last 12 months have provided strong growth as more retailers understand the benefits of working with us.”

Parfetts was established as a family business in 1980, a majority was sold to an Employee Trust Board in 2008, and the company became fully employee-owned in October 2018. A desire to build a sustainable company based on sound governance and engaged employees was at the heart of the decision to move to employee ownership.