The Scottish Wholesale Association has welcomed today’s announcement by the Scottish Government that an additional £10m is to be made available to support the food and drink wholesale sector as it recovers from the pandemic.

It is expected that a new round of the Scottish Food and Drink Wholesale Resilience Fund will go live on Friday.

Colin Smith, SWA Chief Executive (pictured), said that this additional support for wholesale comes as a direct result of the association’s commitment to members and ongoing dialogue with the Scottish Government: ‘Wholesalers haven’t received the same benefits as many other businesses, such as rates relief or strategic framework grants over the pasts year,’ he said. ‘The SWA highlighted this anomaly and the real hardship faced by many wholesalers, so this latest funding recognises the role that wholesalers play in the food and drink supply chain, including supplying schools and hospitals.’

‘What the SWA team has achieved is unmatched anywhere else in the UK, with the Scottish Government allocating nearly £23m over the last two years. We know this funding will be a lifeline for many operators and we’re delighted that the Government has acknowledged the important work undertaken in the food and drink supply chain.’

Mr Smith continued: ‘We thank ministers and officials for working with us to tailor a fund to the needs of our sector and look forward to continued engagement to ensure Scotland’s wholesale sector recovers. Our members are slowly recovering from the latest variant but there is still a long way to go.’

www.scottishwholesale.co.uk