Event marks first year of €50 million supply chain agreement with Donnelly Fruit & Veg
Partnership has led to Donnelly’s opening two regional depots and creating 27 new jobs
BWG Foods today marked the first year of its €50 million nationwide supply chain agreement with Donnelly Fruit & Veg (“Donnelly’s”) by hosting a special trading event for Irish fresh food suppliers, giving them access to sell to up to 600 of its retailers across the SPAR, EUROSPAR, MACE and XL networks, with buying power of €25 million.
In 2012, BWG Foods entered into an exclusive three year partnership with Donelly’s to supply fresh and chilled produce across its retail Group nationwide, resulting in the establishment of a bespoke 35,000 sq ft delivery hub at Kilshane Cross in North County Dublin, where today’s event was held. As a direct result of this deal, Donnelly’s has opened two regional depots in Galway and Cork and created 27 new jobs.
More than fifty suppliers from across the country, including 36 Irish owned companies, attended the inaugural event, showcasing and selling their products spanning 1400 lines including Christmas and Own Brand ranges, as well as special one day offers. Product categories included everything from fresh meat, poultry and seafood, to fruit and vegetables, and dairy and specialty goods. Some newly signed suppliers were also in attendance, including Killowen and Nolans from Wexford and Freshcut and Atlantis Seafoods from Dublin.
Willie O’Byrne, Managing Director, BWG Foods, said: “Today, we are celebrating the success of our supply chain arrangement with Donnelly’s, which has allowed us to provide our chilled food supply service to retailers right across the country, in turn enabling them to meet the growing demand from customers for high quality fresh goods across a wide range of categories. What’s more, we are celebrating the superb quality and range of fresh food suppliers we have on our doorstep here in Ireland, giving them a platform to showcase and trade directly with Ireland’s largest group of independent convenience retailers.”
The volume of goods leaving the premises every week now equates to 1.5 million cases per annum.
BWG Foods is an Irish owned and operated company, providing employment to over 20,000 people through its branded retail estate. The company has relationships with more than 400 suppliers, dealing directly with approximately 14,000 customers, and serving in excess of one million customers every single day.
