Pedrick heads new wholesale venture

14-Mar-2012 - Last updated on 14-Mar-2012 at 13:14 GMT

Colin Pedrick, former managing director of Enterprise Inns and UK and Ireland president of AB InBev, is among a group of pub and drinks industry veterans to launch a new wholesale business.

Around £2m has been raised from investors for the launch of Ooberstock Limited, which plans to grow turnover to £12m in three years. Pedrick takes the role of chairman, with Arran Heal, who has held senior marketing positions at Coca Cola Enterprises and Cobra Beer, as managing director.
Under Ooberstock’s system, drinks producers upload product information to an online portal and retailers pay the net price from the supplier plus a transaction fee and delivery charge. The main services have been outsourced to logistics firm Kuehne + Nagel, credit management provider BCW Group and iTradeNetwork, which will provide IT management services.
Heal said the service provides “greater choice and transparency” for retailers while brand owners will have greater influence over where their products are distributed.
The launch of the business follows trails at 150 retailers in southern England. The company said it expects more than 25 beer, wine, spirit and soft drink firms to join the service.
Other individuals in the business include former Carlsberg board director Andrew Caswell (project director), and Phil Newton, former business development director at Kuehne + Nagel Drinks Logistics (commercial director).