UWS sales up 5% to £212m

Asim Sarwar, managing director, United Wholesale (Scotland).
Asim Sarwar, managing director, United Wholesale (Scotland).

GLASGOW-based cash and carry, wholesale, and symbol group company United Wholesale (Scotland) saw sales rise by 4.8% to reach £212m for the year to 31 December 2013.

Sales in the previous year had been £202m.
However, pre-tax profits rose by just less than 1% to £2.08m.
UWS said both its cash and carry depots at Maxwell Road, on the south side of Glasgow, a unit which has recently been considerably extended, and Queenslie, on the eastern edge of the city, had performed well.
The company plans to open an Edinburgh depot later this year.
The firm said progress had been made in developing its symbol group operations under the Day-Today and Day-Today Express banners, with performance outstripping its original expectations.
But administrative costs increased by 7.1%. Such costs included additional staff hired to help deliver long-term growth, legal and banking charges incurred in changing bank, and costs incurred in acquiring and leasing property at its Edinburgh Newbridge site.
Managing director Asim Sarwar – who operates the business with his brother Athif Sarwar – said the firm had delivered strong results amid heightened competition and diminished consumer disposable income.
He said: “We have developed and nurtured key areas of the business and now look forward to seeing them flourish as we expand our footprint.
“This performance is a result of staying true to our core ethic of supporting customers in what remains a very challenging economic climate.”
Athif Sarwar said: “As always, our primary objective has been to deliver aggressively on price, ensuring our customers can compete with supermarkets and retail groups.
“Our credit facilities also offer significant benefits to customers who do not have access to pre-recession borrowing levels.
l UWS symbol store operation Day-Today last month held its Summer 2014 Water Campaign.
Run in partnership with AG Barr, the campaign gave up to 150,000 youngsters from 500 schools, each within a half mile of one of the country’s 250 Day-Today shops, the chance to claim a free bottle of water.