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From left: Bestway Group CEO Zameer Choudrey; MD Yuonus Sheikh; Martin Race; and Sir Anwar Pervez |
Bestway Cash and Carry Group has opened the first new Batleys depot for seven years, and the first ever in the south east of England.
The 90,000sq ft wholesale warehouse, built at a cost of £10m for the land and building, is located at Courteney Road, Gillingham, Kent, on a site previously occupied by a Co-op distribution centre. The depot was opened by chairman and founder of the Bestway Group Sir Anwar Pervez, and brings the total number of depots in the group to 51.
It offers a range of approximately 20,000 product lines, including a number that have been sourced locally, and there is a state of the art fresh foods area which includes a butchery preparation and sales area, frozen foods with integral open top freezers, an enclosed refrigerated provisions room and a refrigerated fruit and vegetable display area.
The main depot has 11 checkouts with three additional ones in the wine and spirit section and two in the separate pet foods depot.
Martin Race, operations director for eight years at Batleys, said: "This is a big moment for Batleys as we approach our 50th year in business. Our reputation for availability, range and general service to all our many trade customers is something we are very proud of and to be introducing this to the south east of the UK is proof that the firm has a definite quality niche in the wholesale industry that has still room to develop."
Race added: "Sourcing locally is a key part of the product offering. We have a strong reputation in offering retailers support in the development of their businesses and believe that our extensive range of fresh products that are bought locally will be invaluable to our many catering customers as well as those from the independent retail trade."
l See also page 11
Will Government proposals to ban the display of tobacco in retail premises damage the wholesale sector?
