Wholesaler Booker has announced it has been “forced” to introduce delivery fee for all its retailers from the end of February.
With effect from 28 February, Premier and Family Shopper retailers will be charged £29.95 for each delivery. The fee for all other retail customers will be £34.95.
However, according to the wholesaler, this is “transparent fixed cost” and will not fluctuate, regardless of the size of the order, although the minimum order of £1,000 continues to apply.
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In a meeting with The Federation of Independent Retailers (NFRN), Booker said the past two years had been “demanding” for all UK businesses, with rising inflation, increasing driver costs and growing charges for vehicles, fuel and equipment, not including the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
As a result, Booker said it had “no option” but to introduce a delivery fee and has justified the fees in order to help maximise accuracy” and availability for customers.
The wholesaler announced it was changing the cut off time to place orders to 9am for next delivery.
A Booker spokesperson added: “We take these changes very seriously and regrettably have been forced to take this difficult decision due to rising costs.”
Speaking after the meeting, National President Narinder Randhawa added: “We are grateful to Booker for keeping us appraised of the situation and we will explore with them ways of offsetting these extra costs.”
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