Countrywide and its independently owned Food Service Distributors take the lead once again in the 2023 Advantage Foodservice Program, showcasing its steadfast commitment to cultivating robust Supplier Partner relationships.
Now in its sixth year, the Advantage Foodservice Program gives leading Suppliers the opportunity to candidly share valuable insights on the industry. For the second consecutive year, Countrywide has emerged as the leader, demonstrating its strong ties with Supplier Partners built over the past four years.
Achieving the top position against the other four major distributor groups – PFD, Bidfood, Superior Food Services, and NAFDA – Countrywide achieved an Advantage Score equivalent to an average rating of almost 4 out of 5 for all measured competencies. This high result also places Countrywide in the Top 3 results for all FMCG categories (Grocery, Liquor, Pharmacy, Specialty Pet and Foodservice) Advantage Group run in Australia, comprising approximately 100 individual companies.
Over the past four years, our primary focus has been on enhancing partnerships with Suppliers, dedicating time to comprehend and heed feedback, proactively addressing their needs to stride together towards joint success and robust commercial outcomes.
Countrywide’s continuous improvement efforts have garnered recognition from Supplier Partners since the commencement of the program. This achievement underscores that our Supplier Partners value Countrywide’s clear strategic direction, including a modern value-added insights-based approach, innovative marketing strategies, strategic intent, transparency in progress, continuity/consistency and, ultimately, the commitment to implementation – “doing what we say we are going to do.”
While celebrating our accomplishments, we acknowledge the perpetual need for improvement. As an independent food service distributor co-operative, we recognise the formidable corporate competition. Looking ahead to 2024, we are leveraging insights and feedback from the survey to pursue continuous improvement opportunities. Our overarching goal is to deliver increased value to our Supplier Partners, ensuring the presence of a strong independent option in the food service industry.