Day-Today and usave retailers spend big with suppliers
DAY-TODAY and usave symbol groups operator United Wholesale Scotland (UWS) has hailed its record-breaking recent trade show as a huge success.
The event at Glasgow’s Crowne Plaza brought together 95 supplier partners, with retailer attendance increasing by 34% and sales value rising by 39% compared with the previous year. Orders placed during the show reached nearly £895,000, reinforcing what UWS described as a landmark event for the business, its retailers and supplier partners.
The results come as UWS continues to invest in the expansion of its Day-Today and usave symbol estate and accelerate the digital transformation of its retail network. UWS has set out ambitions to reach £500million in sales by 2030, alongside continued investment in symbol stores and plans to progress a new depot in 2027.
UWS now has 150 digitally enabled black fascia stores in Scotland and 20 in London, while a further 53 black fascia stores are pending digital rollout. The business also expects 28 new stores to join Day-Today by the end of 2026. In addition, 21 existing green fascia Day-Today stores have been converted to usave, with a further 37 green stores still to be converted to the black fascia format.
UWS believes the continued investment will create a stronger platform for brands to connect with independent retailers and shoppers at scale, while enabling faster campaign activation and greater in-store visibility for supplier partners.
Meanwhile, the trade show celebrations continued with the 2026 Day-Today Awards. Honours were presented to Beeches Road for Best Licensed Retailer, Catrine for Best Impulse Retailer, Anniesland for Best Vape & Tobacco Retailer and Haddington for Best Community Retailer. Vansdorf Way was crowned Best Overall Day-Today Store.
Supplier and partner awards were also presented across a range of categories, with winners including Imperial Brands, Phoenix 2 Retail, Coca-Cola, AG Barr, AB InBev, Princes, Red Bull, Diageo, Cruzcampo and AU Vodka.
The Scottish-themed trade show dinner saw UWS donate £5,000 each to the Tartan Army Children’s Charity and the Sunshine Appeal. The event also marked the debut of Baggsy, the new Day-Today mascot, who will feature at future store launches, community events and depot visits.
UWS has already started planning for 2027, with events for suppliers and retailers set to take place in both London and Glasgow.
Chris Gallacher, managing director at UWS, said: “This was our biggest and most successful trade show to date, and the results demonstrate the strength of the partnerships we have built with our retailers and supplers.
“Our ambition now is to build on that momentum. We are seeing strong growth across both Scotland and London and continue to invest across every part of the business.
“As we work towards our £500million sales ambition, our focus remains firmly on sustainable growth and creating even greater opportunities for our retailers and supplier partners.
“That continued investment, combined with the strength and reach of our business, makes UWS the perfect partner for growth – both now and for the future.”
