Distributor enjoys the sweet taste of success

– Shaun Inguanzo
IF VICTORIA’S confectionery distribution industry was represented by a chocolate bar, then Dandenong-based Accredited Distributors has taken a deliciously huge bite from it.
The booming distribution service delivers products made by large companies such as Cadbury and Nestle to a range of retailers from convenience shops and petrol stations right through to school canteens.
This week it celebrates its 30th year of operation from humble beginnings as a family owned grocery store in Gladstone Road, Dandenong.
A simple decision by the Booth family after it opened its grocery store in the 1970s to focus on distributing confectionery has now lead to Accredited Distributors being the leading force in Victoria’s confectionery and snack food distribution industry.
Managing director Craig Bain said the company now turned over $60 million per annum and was using the leading edge of logistical technology to ensure a rapid turnaround of just 24 hours between orders and delivery to clients.
Mr Bain said the company now had four outlets across Victoria, including in Dandenong, and had obtained the extra warehouses by buying out former competitors.
He said the company was a member of national buying group The Distributors which uses Australia-wide buying power to achieve the best prices for its stock and to sell exclusively imported brands interstate.
Mr Bain also attributed the growth to the company’s efficient electronic ordering system.
“We have grown through acquisition,” he said.
“And technology has played a huge part in our growth.
“Our representatives are armed with Palm Pilots in what is a paperless ordering system.”
Mr Bain said the Palm Pilots were able to transmit orders from clients immediately to the closest warehouse where the order was being picked within five minutes.
A fleet of 10 trucks helps deliver the products on time within 24 hours, each truck zoned to a representative’s coverage area.
Its biggest clients are convenience and petrol station outlets, which account for 40 per cent of the company’s business, Mr Bain said.
The fast service gained the attention of the Greater Dandenong Chamber of Commerce this year when it awarded Accredited Distributors its Regional Business Award for Service Excellence.
But can the company’s service possibly become any more efficient?
“I think it certainly can,” Mr Bain said.
“I think our next move is to run two split shifts and moving to same-day delivery.”
And while that moment is yet to come for Accredited Distributors, there is no doubting the future looks sweet.