www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35347578
They seem to be screwing their suppliers for retrospective price cuts and a contribution to security tagging and CCTV.
We all know it's a tough world out there but I don't like seeing the big boys throwing their weight around like this.
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never sure how they keep going. I don't think ive ever bought anything from them. Don't they just sell vitamins?
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A friend of mine had a small business and arranged a meeting with a national wholesaler. They wanted retrospective discounts, full payment towards advertising in their monthly offer sheet, and they told him what they would pay for his products.
He told them to go s***w themselves. He's doing pretty well without them.
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I know a Dutch guy who grows flowers and supplies to Tesco's. They just tell him what they want and what price they will give him for them, and he can take it or leave it. Often has to sell at a loss to keep the business.
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I try to avoid businesses that don't treat suppliers fairly, such as Asda (Wallmart), Tescos and now Holland and Barrett.
However it can misfire! When BBC lost F1 to ITV and we ended with adverts in the middle of races I made a note of the advertisers and tried to avoid them. Eventually gave up when I realised I wouldn't be able to shave.
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I was beginning to wonder if we would see customers moving away from the big supermarkets, but it doesn't seem to be happening.
Pity.
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However, supermarkets have that magic convenience factor.
I recall in the sixties my mum and dad would leave me alone in the house on a Saturday morning (I was about six or seven, but hey, it was the sixties when nothing bad could ever happen) and do their weekly shopping while I watched Joe 90 or UFO.
On very odd occasions I would go too. It was a nightmare. Macfisheries for your kippers and snoek was at one end of the High Street, then you had to schlepp down to the market for your veg, across to the bus station where you'd get your lard and sterilized milk from the tiny Sainsbury, back up the Arcade to get the coffee, on another few hundred yards and down an alley to get the bread, across to Saxby's to get the pork pie and ox heart for tea, all in the rain, loaded with bags and surrounded by the six hundred people who lived in the UK at that time.
It used to take them about four hours. These days we wander around Tesco in 20 minutes and get the lot. Obviously all the food we bought from independents back then actually gave you eternal life and cured cancer, whereas today you might as well step into a noose as soon as you've filled your trolley, but I'd still take the time saving any day.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Tue 19 Jan 16 at 15:39
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>>On very odd occasions I would go too. It was a nightmare.
I don't remember it as a nightmare at all. I often used to go with my ole mum to East Lane (actually called East St.) orf the Walworth Rd. SE17 when I was quite young. We used to walk there more often than not, from where we lived near Tower Br. Rd. It was all part of the fun going from market stall to market stall, and having a glass of hot blackcurrant juice from Rossi's stall, or some sarsaparilla from www.baldwins.co.uk/ in Walworth Rd.
I can vaguely recall when I was about 8 years old deciding that I was now too old to go shopping with mummy anymore.
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>> I often used to go with my ole mum to East Street
That's about the only place I enjoy going to shop (oh, and Waitrose/John Lewis). I'm quite happy to mooch along there for an hour or so. A calf's foot and some tripe from the butcher (feed ten for a couple of pounds), a bit of goat, razor clams (for about a third the price of Waitrose). A pound will buy you: six avocados; or ten apples; or 15 satsumas; or ten passion fruit; or three dragon fruit; or an armful of bananas etc. etc. The Chinese supermarket will sell you all sorts of interesting delicacies; lotus root, pig intestines, tofu in a dozen different forms.
And there's a junk market on a Sunday morning; I've found valuable antiquarian books there. For that ubiquitous pound.
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>> However, supermarkets have that magic convenience factor.
Yes. In London if you lived in the right area there was Portobello Road or that other street market further east, and you could get your vittles from individual traders and stallholders, who deserve and need consumer support. But they also had supermarkets and Holland & Barrett chipping away at good old 19th-century exercise shopping. All things pass and big capitalism rules, bad cess to it.
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Asda did very badly over Xmas. Sales down c3.5% over the 12 week period.
Service standards have collapsed at my local Asda. Went from no bags in fresh fruit and veg to big stock shortages. I had to shop at Tesco last week due to snow and was surprised how competitive they now are (Vs Asda).
I suspect Asda are losing the plot.. Expect not only more layoffs (already announced) but change of management.
I leave feedback and they improve - and then get worse again.
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>> Asda did very badly over Xmas. Sales down c3.5% over the 12 week period.
>>
>>
>> I suspect Asda are losing the plot.. Expect not only more layoffs (already announced) but
>> change of management.
I read a little while back that Asda are loosing more business to Lidl and Aldi than any other of the supermarkets. I guess that's only to be expected as they sell themselves more so on price than the others.
I also understood that Wall Mart have struggled with Asda as they just don't really understand the UK grocery market.
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Oh they are slowly. Sainsbury Xmas down on previous year. Spend £30.00 in sainsbury and put it in bags. Do the same in (I love ) Lidl and its in a trolley.
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>> Oh they are slowly. Sainsbury Xmas down on previous year. Spend £30.00 in sainsbury and
>> put it in bags. Do the same in (I love ) Lidl and its in
>> a trolley.
>>
Whilst Asda sold our favourite potatoes at £1.75 per 2.5KG bag, the same type were £0.99 per 2.5KG bag in Aldi..
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>> Whilst Asda sold our favourite potatoes at £1.75 per 2.5KG bag, the same type were
>> £0.99 per 2.5KG bag in Aldi..
And Tesco had some really tatties over Christmas at 39p for 2½KG, as well as carrots, sprouts, and cauliflowers also at the same price.
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I made a fairly mild comment about to H & B about their behaviour via their website. I received the following reply. I guess a generic reply because I didn't say I would no longer use them.
<< Thank you for your email and for your feedback. It is standard practice for large-scale retail businesses to negotiate on prices with their suppliers. The request we sent to our suppliers was made to allow future investment in growth so we can open new stores which will benefit our suppliers through increased sales of their products, as well as the potential to reach new overseas markets.
As a customer, you will have seen us bringing many new brands to your local store. Our suppliers have benefitted during the recession as we managed to report growth every year across that challenging period, something most other retailers were unable to achieve. We feel we provide excellent growth opportunities for our large and small suppliers who are, of course, always free to choose through and to whom they sell their products. We believe we operate in a reasonable, responsible and ethical way and hope you will reconsider shopping with Holland & Barrett again in the future. >>
My feeling is that it is naughty of them to try and use suppliers money to get growth. Much more ethical to get the growth and then negotiate with suppliers about any increase in order size.
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Holland and Barrett coming on heavy with suppliers - sooty123
