A leading wholesale food supplier to the catering industry in hotels, pubs, guesthouses and schools has turned a potential lockdown disaster into a retail success, culminating in the launch of its home delivery service Veggies&more.
Losing 85% of trade in one fell lockdown swoop might have plunged WestCountry, with its three depots in Cornwall and Devon and hundreds of suppliers, into deep despair. But the swiftest of turnarounds saw its vans running next-day deliveries to householders initially through its Bulk Buy service – now re-branded and re-launched with new livery this week as Veggies&more.
“We’ve never been ‘passive’ at WestCountry and lockdown made us instantly reappraise what had to be done,” said joint MD Sean Williams.
“With the country in lockdown and households across the region desperately needing access to stocks of fresh foods and general groceries, supermarket shelves were emptying and many couldn’t or were afraid to leave their homes. Within three days of lockdown we had pivoted our business to deliver the best, freshest local produce and much more besides direct to their doorsteps.”
Customers have the pick of 3,000 products, choosing among the quality wares of more than 100 local producers and more than 1,000 other prime grocery and household items. Veggies&more vans are delivering from WestCountry’s three depots near Falmouth, St Austell and Newton Abbot to homes across the region from Land’s End to Taunton in the north and Weymouth in the east.
