Symbol group retailers are increasing their range of eco-friendly and sustainable products through a new partnership with online wholesale start-up LocoSoco.
The company, which partnered with its first store last month, helps retailers set up their own website to sell more environmentally friendly products such as dishwasher powder, snack bars and toiletries, which are supplied by the wholesaler.
Each retailer site is branded under the store name and the LocoSoco โMy Eco Siteโ brand and customers place their order for collection in two-week cycles.
According to LocoSoco CEO and founderย James Perry, the company has partnered with 200 independent retailers.
Store owners who are partnered with LocoSoco include Budgens retailer Sid Sidhu, Best-one owner Kay Patel alongside Raj Aggarwal, of Spar Wigston in Leicester, and Aman Uppal of One Stop Mount Nod.
Perry told betterRetailing the company is in discussions with symbol groups to expand its distribution further.
โThere are no fees for retailers to join and we split the profits 50/50 with them,โ he said. โItโs still early days, but the projected sales for retailers we work with are between ยฃ1,000 and ยฃ2,000 on average per month.
โWe have a pool of eco-friendly products which retailers can order from one central platform and they can improve their local reputation because sustainability is a major topic now.โ
Aggarwal rolled out the service in his Leicester and Sheffield Spar stores last week. โItโs a new service which I started offering last week from the recommendation of other retailers,โ he said.
โSustainability is a major focus for me as an independent retailer and having these products in my store can help us inform our customers of that.
โWeโre doing all we can to reverse the damage weโve done to the environment. I canโt get any of these products from any other wholesaler.โ