A fast-growing food wholesaler has launched a price check promise scheme.
Harlech Foodservice says customers could save 14% as part of the new Harlech 50 price comparison initiative that benchmarks prices of top-selling products against goods from industry giant Booker.
Harlech, which has bases in Cricieth in North Wales, Chester, Carmarthen, Merthyr Tydfil and Telford, says the aim is to help businesses struggling to cope with soaring costs brought on by National Insurance and wage increases.
Harlech Foodservice’s head of purchasing Josie Swift said being so transparent on price would “disrupt the way the wholesale market normally works”.
She said:
“Every Monday we compare our prices to Booker and then we will publish the figures and all the details on our website – every code we’ve compared and every price match we’ve compared. We want to make it really simple for customers so they didn’t feel like they were having to work it out themselves or have to work out how they can see the prices, it’s nice and clear.”
Josie said a price comparison check for the week of March 17 showed Harlech Foodservice customers would save up to an overall 14% on the 50 products – and that figure will change week on week.
Josie said the move was the latest initiative by the company as it looked to expand its operations and continue to provide great customer care.
She said:
“Our customers don’t want to have to go and have a conversation with a sales rep, negotiate on 5p and think they’ve got a good deal, and then see the next sales rep and realise they haven’t got a good deal.
“All that is hard work and for most of our customers their business is their life, they are working 60 or 80-hour weeks, they can’t be having negotiations with every company that walks through the door.”
Josie said the transparency provided by the Harlech 50 scheme would help customers as they faced increased costs, especially from the rise in National Insurance contributions.
She said:
“The staffing costs are going to be the biggest costs for almost everyone we serve. National Insurance going up is going to hit every one of our customers, so any way we can make it easier to try and navigate this, we will do.
“Customers don’t know what their staff turnover is going to be like, they don’t know how many people they are going to have to employ this summer, especially our seasonal sector, but it all has an extra cost to it now.
“So if we can keep something consistent, and that’s our pricing of food, then we are helping in some way.”
The firm has launched a new rewards app to help customers cope with the cost of living crisis. The My Harlech loyalty app was unveiled at Harlech’s annual two-day trade fair Expo 25 at Venue Cymru in Llandudno. The app rewards customers with a rebate of up to 10 per cent on what they spend with Harlech Foodservice each year.
Josie said:
“The response to the app from customers was really positive. It allows them to track their spending with us, so it’s brilliant for them because they know exactly how much their business is spending and how much they are getting back at the end of the year.”
Harlech has also unveiled its latest version of its Trust Our Prices campaign, with more than 400 prices locked down for three months until June 7.
The initiative has been very successful since it launched in 2023 and it covers hundreds of staple products, from rolls to burgers, that customers buy every week and it guarantees that those prices will be locked in for three months.
