At last week’s SWA Connex conference in Glasgow, a clear message emerged: the wholesale sector is facing a complex landscape of challenges, both now and in the future, but remains well positioned to seize new opportunities.
Our sector has always lived with change, but the next 25 years will test us in new ways. Today’s pressures - cost, margin, inflation - are only part of the story. What lies ahead are structural changes: shifting consumer expectations, fragmented spending habits, and the growing impact of climate change on food production.
And yet, there’s real cause for optimism - something our conference delegates clearly shared. By the end of the day, audience polling showed that the sector’s greatest opportunities lie within the very changes underway.
Insights from the TWC Group, presented by Tanya Pepin, showed us that Scotland is currently out performing the rest of the UK across a declining retail landscape, and in out-of-home, hospitality and leisure categories. That’s not just resilience - that’s growth potential.
Consumer behaviour is evolving quickly. There is a clear shift towards health-conscious choices, sustainability, and locally sourced produce. To meet that demand, we need to build confidence and capability across the supply chain - from farm to fork.
Our panel discussions throughout the day reinforced that those businesses already adapting - across wholesale, supply, retail, and hospitality- are already beginning to see the benefits.
Looking forward, climate change, while presenting major, undeniable challenges, may also offer Scotland a relative advantage. Professor Colin Campbell, Chief Executive of the James Hutton Institute, outlined in his talk how Scotland’s rainfall and warming temperatures have the potential to strengthen local crop production, improving resilience in our food system and opening new avenues for Scottish producers, and the wholesale channel that serves them.
But opportunity alone isn’t enough - we need to act on it.
That’s why SWA is exploring the concept of a wholesale incubator programme for local produce, to bring producers, wholesalers and customers closer together—supporting inovation, investment and access to Scottish products.
The future of wholesale will be shaped by those willing to adapt, collaborate, and lead change. SWA is committed to doing exactly that - helping our channel notjust survive but thrive.
