Foodservice wholesale: Survival of the fittest
ADVERTORIAL
Wholesale News meets three foodservice wholesalers who, when tasked with future-proofing their business, have taken the step to digitalise their operations to ensure that their next chapter is their strongest yet
Food wholesale has always been one of the hardest yards. Long before supply chains became dinner table conversation, wholesalers were the invisible backbone of the nation’s food system – up before dawn, running on relationships, and keeping restaurants, schools, hospitals and high streets fed through every storm the last century threw at them.
The years since 2020 have tested that resilience like nothing before. Supply disruption, staff shortages, soaring costs and the longest stretch of uncertainty most operators had ever faced. The businesses that came through did so on grit, loyalty and their deep knowledge of their customers.
However, survival was just the first chapter. The wholesale sector has always found a way through and the businesses now pulling ahead are those who’ve been willing to try something new.
“WE CHANGED THE WAY ORDERS WORKED FOR THE BETTER”
Trading since 1894, Rowlands is built upon reliability and personal service, delivered through four generations of family leadership. For more than a century, the model worked, but as the business grew, so did the strain.
At peak times, five members of staff were needed to handle incoming orders on voicemails, emails, faxes and phone calls, all entered by hand. New employees took weeks to train and customers ordering by habit over a quick call rarely discovered the full range on offer or trialled new products. While Rowlands needed to reduce the noise of manual order-taking, it didn’t want to lose its personal touch by going digital. Orderlion’s ordering platform and AI Inbox brought every channel into one place, cut order processing time in half and new starters became operational within days. Critically, customers embraced browsing the app and began discovering – and ordering – products they had never known to purchase.
More than 70% of Rowlands’ customer base was onboarded within 90 days.
On a Sunday, we’d have more than 120 voicemails. By switching to AI, we process them in no time
Peter Rowlands, Director, Rowlands Ltd
“WE DIDN’T SPOT THE LATEST TRENDS; THE DATA DID”
SJB Foods supplies more than 800 customers across Devon, including schools, colleges, cafes and restaurants, with 15 delivery vehicles running six days a week. They were among the first to recognise that the next step in their business wouldn’t come from working harder; it would come from knowing more.
Their Orderlion white-label app – fully branded as SJB’s own – immediately transformed the family run wholesaler’s operations. Around 75% of orders now flow through the app daily, basket sizes have grown by at least 20% and overnight order processing has been cut to one to two hours.
But it is Orderlion Analytics where the real future lies. Live visibility of ordering patterns means the SJB team can identify a customer who has gone quiet, spot an upsell opportunity or see a trend emerging before they lose them to a competitor. The results are already compelling and the capability is only just beginning to be realised.
Having our own app provides a much more personal touch. It makes customers feel more in touch with us
James Berisford, Operations Director, SJB Foods
“WE WERE SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ON THE WRONG THINGS AND COULDN’T FOCUS ON GROWTH”
For Stickleback Fish, the pressure on the business wasn’t about volume but about time. Staff fielded orders by call, text and WhatsApp until late into the evening and every Monday began with a backlog. High-performing members of the team were spending their best hours on data entry.
Orderlion’s AI Inbox changed the rhythm of the business. Orders arriving by any channel, at any hour are automatically read and converted into accurate, structured orders with no manual input and no missed messages.
The team remained in place, but their time and energy was redirected towards proactive sales calls, sharing new promotions and building even stronger relationships with the chefs and buyers who depend on them week in, week out.
We were answering order messages until midnight. Now that time goes back into the business – into sales, relationships and actually growing
Ross Arnold, Director, Stickleback Fish Company
5 MYTHS ABOUT GOING DIGITAL – BUSTED
1 “Our customers and staff won’t use an app”
Most wholesalers see 70%+ of customers onboard within 90 days, including long-standing buyers who had never ordered digitally.
2 “AI will take our people’s jobs”
Every business here kept their full team, but hours of data entry were freed up to spend on sales, relationships and growth.
3 “We’ll lose the personal touch”
Customers order however they prefer, but your team gains the time to have the conversations that matter.
4 “It’s too complex to set up”
Orderlion integrates with all major UK ERPs, including Sage, SAP, Xero and QuickBooks, typically within days.
5 “The timing isn’t right”
The businesses using these tools are building an advantage week by week, so the earlier you do it, the better.
Visit the Orderlion website to book a free demo or email uk@orderlion.com
AI Foodservice online ordering Orderlion Rowlands SJB Foods Stickleback Fish
