Palmer and Harvey is launching its first-ever price-match pledge, as part of a major pricing shake-up to dispel the myth that buying from cash and carry outlets is cheaper than buying from a delivered wholesaler.

The Brighton-based supplier to the forecourt, convenience, grocery and CTN sectors claims that using a cash and carry outlet can cost independent retailers more than £2,500 a year and waste 4.81 working weeks.

“Cash & carry operators claim they offer big discounts and are always cheaper, but the real picture shows that thousands of pounds are being wasted every year on an expensive and time-consuming cash & carry habit,” said Martyn Ward, commercial director at Palmer and Harvey.

The new pricing structure means P&H will now be price-matching against cash & carry operators – regionally and nationally – on 600 of the best-selling FMCG lines.  

Each week, it will price-check the biggest brands in impulse, chilled, ambient, frozen and fresh lines against cash & carry prices both online and in branch – and then adjust its own prices to match the lowest permanent prices it finds. However it promises to continue to offer promotions on these 600 lines, which make up between 55-57 per cent of non-tobacco convenience sales.

“The new pricing structure is part of our wider drive to ensure independent customers are given the best chance to compete against larger retailers,” stressed Ward. “It gives them cash & carry prices with free delivery, up-to 14-days interest-free credit and guaranteed availability.

“Buying through Palmer and Harvey also gives retailers more security, as products are delivered straight  to  their store and they don’t have to worry about spending time in a cash and carry car park with high-value, easily-stolen goods like tobacco and alcohol.”

The wholesaler is also offering retailers a pocket-sized ‘Easy Order’ barcode scanner to simplify the ordering process for retailers. An initial test-run with Irish retailers had resulted in an increase in orders of  54%.