JW Filshill puts in ‘stable’ performance

By Liz Wells in Industry News 11th September 2020

Wholesaler JW Filshill, which supplies more than 190 KeyStore convenience stores across Scotland and the north of England, has reported turnover of £155m for the year ending 31 January – the same as a year earlier.

Glasgow-based Filshill – which is on track to relocate to a 120,400sq ft distribution centre at Westway Park, near Glasgow Airport, in early 2022 – recorded gross profit of 8.4% during the year.

Simon Hannah, Filshill chief executive, said: “The independent retail trade remains highly competitive and challenging, and we seek to manage the principal risk of losing customers by aiming to deliver best-in-class customer service.

“In recent months, we have gained a significant number of new customers who have joined our KeyStore family based on word-of-mouth recommendations and our commitment to servicing our customer based during the coronavirus pandemic.”

He noted that both the Brexit process and Covid-19 “continues to add a level of uncertainty to our business as it does across all industries”, but added: “We believe that we have taken the necessary steps to minimise the associated risks and to take advantage of the corresponding opportunities. With regards Covid, we have carried out the necessary risk assessments and continue to implement controls to minimise the risk exposure.”