Clydebank society joins with Keystore in reclaimed store
INDEPENDENT co-operative society Clydebank Co-op is to move outside the wholesaling arrangements of the Co-operative Group and tie-in with JW Filshill’s symbol store operation Keystore in one of its shops.
The store, in the Knightswood area of west Glasgow is being taken back by the company on the expiry of a lease. The company is scheduling the change to take place this autumn. The store will run under a joint fascia.
Robert Sider, chief executive of the Clydebank Co-operative Society, who is also current president of the Scottish Grocers’ Federation, announced the agreement during a presentation to the Scottish Wholesale Association at Crieff last month.
In recent times the dividend paid by Co-operative Group to other co-ops who use the movement’s centralised trading and own-brand facilities has reduced. The Clydebank chief has also expressed concern about some aspects of Co-op ranging and its suitability for parts of the Clydebank society’s local market.
The co-op chief said he was looking forward to the collaboration.
“We have a long history of tradition and innovation. We see this development very much as evolution within our food business and, indeed, co-operative circles.”
Simon Hannah, managing director of JW Filshill, Scotland’s oldest independent food and drink wholesaler, said: “It’s an exciting brand proposition for us and one that will get the industry talking and breathe new life into our sector.
“There are brands linking up all the time so there is no reason why complementary brands in the convenience store sector can’t do the same.”
Images – Above, Simon Hannah, managing director of Keystore owner JW Filshill, and top, Robert Sider, chief executive of Clydebank Co-operative Society, looking forward to working together on a jointly branded store.
