Roberts stands out in Stoke

Stoke-on-Trent has provided the UK with some household names. It was the birthplace of England's footballing wizard of the dribble Stanley Matthews who played for local side Stoke City and pop sensation Robbie Williams grew up in the area. However, one of the areas unsung heroes has been going strong in the area since the late 19th century.

Wholesaler Arthur Roberts & Sons began life as a greengrocer shop in one of the city's five towns, Longton. Then, in 1901 Roberts took a stall in Longton Market, he had three sons and three daughters and they were recruited to help out in the business as soon as they were able to wield a brush or lift a bag of carrots. The women did the majority of the office work as the founder was unable to read or write, but this did not prevent him establishing the business and by the 1920s the company had become a wholesale concern besides running two retail businesses.

The wholesale business began with a barrow to push, progressing to a horse and cart and it was much later before the first lorries were purchased, there was no such thing as chilled articulated lorries at this time. Roberts became a well-recognised figure in the area, and was never seen without his bowler hat. He was known throughout the trade as the potato king.

After Arthur passed away in 1948, his sons James and Harry took on the running of the business. Current director Mark Roberts joined the business in 1976 and took over the reins in the 1980s to become the fourth generation of the Roberts family at the helm.

The business has obviously changed considerably since the early days and director Roberts believes the company has to respond to the changes within the industry. Although it is not easy he is convinced that hard work will reward him in the long run. “We supply mainly to catering supply companies and retail companies, we don't go to large hotels and pubs direct ñ as we don't want to step on the toes of the catering supply companies,” he says. “We do supply to one or two smaller hotels and pubs that have come to us direct, although we are not looking to grow this side of the business.”

Nevertheless, the catering industry is taking on greater significance for Roberts. “It seems that in these times people have more disposable income. Larger numbers of people opt to eat out in restaurants and there are more restaurants opening and more pubs offering meals,” he says. “This increasing trade can be only good for our business.”

Roberts does feel, however, that changes within society make the industry more challenging than ever. “At one time there were seven or eight family members involved in the business. But now there is my wife Kath who runs the office and myself. My son Mark, who is 17, helps out, but I'm not sure he's going to stay in the business,” he says. “With less family in the business we have to concentrate on the areas of the company that can bring us the greatest success as we don't have the resources available.”

Pressures are also higher as Stoke is not an area renowned for the wholesale market. “It is difficult to replace experienced staff within this industry especially considering our location,” says Roberts. “If we were situated on a wholesale market site such as Liverpool or Manchester we would be better equipped to replace staff. There would be options available to us whereby we could approach sales people working for other companies. However, we don't have this option. It is important to remember that your sales team need expert knowledge.”

It is not only difficult to recruit sales staff. “When we look to recruit drivers to the company, many who come for interviews don't realise the difference in demands for this driving job. Our drivers have to start at 4am, which often puts people off,” he says.

Although it is a battle for Roberts he feels the company is staying on top of things and is able to provide a quality service to the area.

With the rising dominance of supermarkets across the UK, it may seem that the demand for wholesale firms is lessening. On approaching the company's location in Longton it is impossible not to notice the new Tesco Extra store, which looms large over the city. However, Roberts is not made uneasy by the supermarket's presence and is sure that the company and independent retailers have an important role to play, not only in Stoke, but also across the country. He says: “The dominance of supermarkets is rising all the time. Although they have taken the lion's share of the market there is still a place for independent retailers in the Stoke area. There are between 20 and 30 quality independent retailers within the area. I also believe the quality is much better and that customers get better value for money at these shops compared to the superstores.”

In terms of the wholesale industry Roberts faces little competition within the area. Arthur Roberts & Son is based on the south side of the city and employs 13 people. Roberts says: “Brown's was a wholesaler not far from here, they sold out to Lamberts who have since been acquired by Redbridge ñ so there is little competition in terms of wholesale. The main competition is from retailers ñ and that is competition enough. We are confident if we continue to provide our service we have nothing to be afraid of.”

With reduced family involvement in the business the company decided to pull out of running retail shops around 1997. “We decided that we didn't want to spread ourselves too thinly but instead concentrate on the core area of the business, which is supplying to the catering and retail sector ñ so we now rent the shops out. We used to have concessions in Kwik Save stores several years ago, but as the store would only give us a month-to-month contract it was difficult to plan ahead for the future,” he says, “Providing a strong and focused wholesale arm is essential.”

The company prides itself on the good relations it has with growers across the UK and Europe and the company sources produce from a number of locations. Roberts explains: “We have a good working relationship with the Greenery which provides us with salads, besides Dutch Cox's and Conference pears. We also do a small amount of business involving flowers.” The company has also signed a six-month contract taking Irish mushrooms and also has a contracted price for Dutch mushrooms. Roberts says: “Having a fixed price arrangement also helps the business and allows us to plan for the future.”

Traditionally the company has a good relationship with growers in Lancashire and Cheshire and this forms the bulk of the business. Roberts says: “We have very good relationships with our suppliers in these areas, which have been built over time. I buy the produce in and we can rely on acquiring quality produce from these areas. We also have cast our net wider and obtain produce from Lincolnshire and Kent.”

Changes in consumer tastes have seen a change in the demands of the customer. “Ten or 15 years ago we would have never received requests for ginger, garlic or peppers. People in the UK were not using these products but consumers are becoming much more adventurous. There has also been a demand for herbs such as basil and coriander,” he says.

The area has also seen a healthy rise in trade from the ethnic community. “We supply the local Chinese wholesaler with Chinese leaves and the Indian community take a large number of onions from us. This is a growing area of the business for us,” says Roberts.

The continued success of Alton Towers in the region has also brought success. Roberts explains: “This year we provided them with 1,000 pumpkins for Halloween. Although I'm not sure they realised how difficult it would be to carve faces in that many.”

Roberts is under no illusion that it is a tough industry ñ but with a strong work ethic remains positive. “We're willing to put the effort in. It is important that we are aware of what the customer needs and not what we think they need. We aim to procure what they want. When suppliers come to us, they come to us for quality produce and good service and we aim to give this every time,” he says.

Roberts feels confident for the future of this business steeped in history. He says: “Supermarkets can only go so far. We have an important place in a niche market. Our customers will always be after quality produce. The business is in good shape and we are confident for future success.”