Co-op Wholesale celebrates 10 years of partnership, progress and performance with Slimstock

Through more than a decade of collaboration, Nisa and now Co-op Wholesale has worked with Slimstock to deliver continuous improvement, exceptional availability and unrivalled value.

A pint of milk, a loaf of bread or the ingredients for tonight’s dinner. Chances are, you’ve picked them up from one of the thousands of independent retailers supplied by Co-op Wholesale.

In 2018, Nisa became part of the Co-op Group, bringing together Nisa’s extensive network of independent retailers with Co-op’s scale, supply chain expertise and award-winning own-brand range.

Don Carosielli, supply chain manager at Co-op Wholesale, explains:

“Nisa remains the customer-facing symbol group supporting independent retailers across the UK, while Co-op Wholesale provides the buying power, logistics network and supply chain capabilities that help keep those stores stocked.”

Partners in supply chain success

Over the last decade, the grocery and wholesale sector has undergone significant change. Customer expectations have increased, demand patterns have become more unpredictable, and retailers have faced growing pressure to balance product availability with operational efficiency. Throughout this period, Co-op Wholesale has remained committed to continuously improving how it plans, manages and replenishes inventory.

For more than a decade, Co-op Wholesale has partnered with Slimstock and leveraged its supply chain planning platform to improve inventory decisions, strengthen planning processes and maintain the exceptional levels of availability its retailers depend on.

Over the last 12 months, this focus has continued to deliver performance improvements, including:

• Driving significant cost savings across the supply chain without compromising service levels
• Creating a more efficient and balanced inbound operation, reducing pressure on warehouse resources

Solutions

Anticipating demand with confidence

With customer demand influenced by everything from seasonal trends and events to changing shopping habits, accurate forecasting plays a critical role in maintaining high availability.

By leveraging the solution’s powerful forecasting capabilities, planners can better anticipate future demand, giving them greater confidence in their purchasing decisions.

Louise Comerford, Supply Chain Planner at Co-op Wholesale, states:

“Demand can change quickly in our sector. Hot weather increases demand for things like soft drinks, while colder conditions drive sales in completely different categories, such as soups. The Slimstock platform helps us identify these patterns and build them into our forecasts, allowing us to prepare for changes in demand before they happen.”

Delivering profitable promotions

Promotional activity is a key driver of sales for independent retailers, but it can also create significant planning complexity. To support successful promotions while avoiding excess stock, Co-op Wholesale uses Slimstock’s platform to better understand promotional uplift and accurately align inventory with expected demand. This enables the business to maximise product availability during key trading periods while maintaining efficient stock levels.

“One of the biggest advantages is the promotional planning capability. We can upload promotions into the system and create a dedicated buying profile for each event. This helps ensure we’re bringing in the right amount of stock to support demand without overbuying or creating unnecessary inventory,” highlights Don.

Driving efficiency across inbound operations

Using Slimstock’s advanced platform, the team has been able to refine delivery schedules, optimise order patterns and better balance warehouse intake throughout the week. This has helped improve operational efficiency, reduce unnecessary costs and create a smoother flow of inventory through the network.

“Slimstock’s platform has helped us to review delivery and buying schedules so we can better balance inbound orders across the week. That means fewer bottlenecks, improved warehouse efficiency and better utilisation of resources. It’s helped us create a leaner operation while maintaining the high availability standards our customers expect.”

Next steps

As Co-op Wholesale looks to the future, its decade-long partnership with Slimstock continues to provide the foundation for ongoing improvement, helping ensure independent retailers receive the availability, service and support they depend on every day.

“Transformation isn’t just about implementing systems,” says Don. “It’s about helping people adopt better ways of working and creating a mindset of continuous improvement. Small, sustainable changes can deliver significant long-term benefits, and with Slimstock we have the right partner to keep building on that progress.”