Setting up a convenience store: finding the right food supplier

Opening a convenience store is a significant investment. One of the first decisions you will need to make is where to buy your stock. The wholesale supplier you choose will affect your margins, your shelf availability, and how much time you spend chasing orders instead of running your shop.

What products sell in convenience stores

The core categories for most convenience stores are soft drinks, confectionery, and snacks. These are high-turnover, impulse-buy products that customers expect to find in any local shop, and soft drinks are usually one of the busiest categories in the store.

Start with the brands your customers know: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Fanta, and Monster for soft drinks and energy drinks. Mars, Snickers, Twix, and Maltesers for confectionery. Build your range around these, then add value lines and local favourites as you learn what sells in your area.

Choosing between cash and carry and click & collect

Cash and carry means driving to a depot, walking the aisles, loading up, and driving back. You control exactly what you buy and you can see the stock before you purchase. The downside is the time it takes, especially if the nearest depot is not close.

Click & collect saves you most of that time. You order online from a list, the supplier picks it, and you collect in a slot that suits you. With us there is no minimum order, so a new store can start small and build up as it learns what sells.

Many convenience store owners use a mix of both. They order their core stock ahead for collection and visit a cash and carry now and then for lines their main supplier does not carry.

What to look for in a supplier

Reliability matters more than the cheapest price. A supplier who has your order ready on time, every time, is worth more than one who is 2% cheaper but is often out of stock. Empty shelves cost you more than a slightly higher wholesale price.

Look for a supplier who stocks the brands your customers want, shows clear prices, has collection times that fit around your opening hours, and is easy to contact when you need to change an order or ask a question.

Getting started with us

We supply convenience stores across the Midlands with soft drinks, energy drinks, and confectionery. Customers collect from our depot in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, around 10 minutes away, to Stafford, around 25 minutes away, and beyond.

Browse our prices in the shop, apply for a trade code to see trade prices, or call us on 01782 873547 to discuss what your new store needs.