news
Glasgow C&C sells out Sher Brothers, which dates back to 1951 when it was operating as a clothing cash & carry, has sold the major part of the business to Bestway Group for an undisclosed sum. The Glasgow-based company, with a turnover of around £100m, now trades from four C&Cs, one of which claims to have the most extensive range of food and non-food in Scotland, covering groceries, tobacco, soft drinks, confectionery, frozen foods, dairy products, OTC medicines, toiletries, Asian foods, paperware and greetings cards. Of the other three outlets, two deal in clothing and one in hardware. It is just the freehold food depot, with a staff of about 70, which is being sold. Opened in 1990, it is currently a member of Landmark Wholesale – to which Bestway was affiliated until 2003.
The food and drink business being bought by Bestway.
But Sher’s link with that group will be severed, throwing into doubt the tieup of its 150-strong Lifestyle Express members. The probability is that they will change to best-one or switch to one of the other Landmark members in Glasgow. Earlier this year financial controller Imtiaz Sher dismissed rumours that Sher Bros was in trouble. He told Cash & Carry Management (February issue): “The company to which you refer is House of Sher, a Glasgow retail DIY and hardware business. It has gone into administration because of family friction and bickering.”
Regarding the latest Sher development, he said: “We are still in the process of doing a deal. We’re just talking.” He admitted, however, that there was likely to be a satisfactory conclusion to discussions. The deal means Bestway Group, including Batleys, has yet another foothold in Scotland, having in recent years bought Bellevue and Martex. It brings to eight the number of branches it has north of the border. Tel: Bestway Group 0208453 1234. Tel: Sher Bros 0141-429 8080.
KeyStore unlocks a ‘first’ A former SPAR store in Knightswood, Glasgow, has reopened as the first joint venture between JW Filshill and the Clydebank Co-op. It trades as KeyStore, the
168-strong group for which the wholesaler has the Scottish franchise. The same chain in England largely disappeared after 2008 when Key Lekkerland closed down.
Ian McDonald (left), Filshill sales & marketing director, with Clydebank Co-op’s chief executive Robert Sider.
8
• Cash & Carry Management • November 2013
The Co-op Society’s chief executive Robert Sider commented: “Working with Filshill, we have created a pristine convenience store, with a range much more suited to local needs. “This is a significant departure from our current supply line of the Co-operative Group. Through Filshill, we can source a wider range and more Scottish products.” The 1,200 sq ft store is aiming for a weekly turnover of £20,000. It trades from 7am-10pm and offers orderand-collection and ‘distress’ delivery services. Tel: JW Filshill 0141-883 7071.
Clinking glasses Two of Scotland’s leading drinks wholesalers have joined forces, with Inverarity Morton buying Forth Wines for a seven-figure sum. Combined turnover of the business is around £75m, with a total payroll of more than 200. Forth Wines alone, which has about 50 staff, has annual sales of £24m. Under managing director Stephen Russell, Inverarity Morton operates from a Glasgow depot and has more than 2,000 customers in the licensed trade. Forth Wines has a 75,000 sq ft site at Milnathort, Kinross-shire. Russell, who said the two concerns sell a similar amount of wine, added that with the use of Forth Wines’ large premises, increased distribution could be achieved. “Forth Wines has exclusive representation in the UK for a number of great brands, including Chocolate Box (Australia), Lomond Wines (South Africa) and, in Scotland, Bodegas LAN (Spain). So the first project our buying teams will get stuck into is integrating and expanding the wine list.” He added that although the focus is still to expand in Scotland, there is now scope to “go more aggressively” in England, where 22% of Forth Wines’ output goes but less than 10% of IM’s. Forth Wines director Ian Cumming joins IM as commercial director and fellow director Alan Cramond becomes director of finance. Tel: Morton (IM) 0141-649 9881. Tel: Forth Wines (01577) 866001.
www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk