Waitrose to strengthen ties with farms
12 December 2001
Waitrose to strengthen ties with farms
By Adrienne Francis
WAITROSE believes it can gain a competitive edge by fostering strong, long-term ties with farmers, reports the Financial Times.
A new training program, Developing People in Partnership, is set to formalise communication between the supermarket and its farmer suppliers.
It also wants to encourage a network between suppliers so that ideas can be discussed and new business opportunities spotted, says the paper.
Waitrose director of buying Steven Epsom acknowledges that the supermarket chain has selfish reasons for conducting the course.
“The retailer with the strongest supply chain, from the producer of the raw material through us to our consumer, will have the greatest advantage.”
“Price is the easiest thing to copy, [but] the true differentiator in the long term must be the quality of the assortment.
Waitrose buyers will join supplier representatives on the 15-day course, spread over a year.