In short
When buying FMCG or confectionery wholesale, check four things on every offer: the best-before date, the case quantity, whether the pack is price-marked, and the margin at your selling price. Short-dated stock can be good value, but only if the quantity will sell before the date.
By Shearn Group LTD · Updated
Best before and use by are not the same
A use-by date is about safety. Food must not be sold after it. A best-before date is about quality. Food past its best-before date can legally be sold in the UK as long as it is safe to eat, which is why short-dated and past-best-before confectionery is widely traded.
Most confectionery, snacks and ambient grocery carry best-before dates. Always check which date type applies before you buy.
Short-dated stock
Stock close to its best-before date is sold at a discount. It suits discounters and promotions, but the saving disappears if the stock outlasts its date on your shelf.
Before ordering, work out how many units you sell a week and compare that with the weeks remaining. A reputable wholesaler states the date on the offer so you can do that sum.
Case quantities and pack formats
Wholesale prices are quoted per case or per unit within a case. Check the case quantity, because the same product can be packed in different sizes for different channels.
Multipacks, sharing bags and countlines each sell differently. A convenience store leans on countlines and impulse lines by the till; a discounter does better with multipacks and sharing bags.
Price-marked packs
A price-marked pack has the retail price printed on it. Shoppers trust it, which helps a small shop look competitive, but the margin is fixed by the printed price. Non-price-marked packs let you set your own price.
Working out the margin
Margin is what you keep from the selling price, not a mark-up on the cost. Take the selling price excluding VAT, subtract the cost price excluding VAT, and divide by the selling price. Include delivery in the cost if it is charged separately.
Household and health & beauty lines
Laundry, cleaning and personal care products have long shelf lives and steady demand, which makes them useful for filling an order to the minimum. Watch for packaging changes: old-design stock is often cleared at a discount and is otherwise identical.
Where Shearn Group fits
Shearn Group is a UK wholesaler and distributor of branded FMCG and confectionery. Best-before dates are stated on every food and confectionery offer, short-dated stock is labelled as such, and the £5,000 + VAT minimum can be mixed across FMCG, confectionery and toys.