Bestway has removed its fuel levy charge, previously at £3.66 per delivery, for all mainland Costcutter stores.
In addition, it has announced an investment of more than £2.5 million to reduce the cost price of more than 11,000 best-selling branded products across all categories.
The company says the moves will allow its retailers to make more margin, and help them maintain their competitiveness in the market.
Managing director for Bestway Wholesale, Dawood Pervez, says that retailers are welcoming the support as they face increases this April to the Minimum Wage threshold, and also to National Insurance employer contributions.
“After Brexit, came Covid… and now we have increases to National Insurance and National Living Wage thresholds coming into play. There’s no question this will impact on retailers at a point when it’s clear that consumers will have less money in their pockets due to continuing inflation and slower than anticipated reductions in interest rates,” says Pervez.
“We’ve listened to our retailers as to what is most important to them and are looking to the months’ ahead and the challenges that they face – and we’re acting now to invest in their future. In 2024 we paid out over £10 million in rebates to Costcutter retailers, therefore we want to ensure that everyone is maximising the full benefit of this profit driving scheme.”
He adds: “It doesn’t stop there. Our vision for 2025 is to continue to co-invest in retailers’ businesses via refits and store modernisation plans.”
