Expanding forecourt retailer Tout鈥檚 has signed a supply deal with convenience wholesale specialist Nisa.
The South West operator currently has two sites in the Bristol area, but is looking to develop further.
It previously operated under the Budgens brand, but with a desire to bring local sourcing to the fore as an independent, it has turned to the Scunthorpe giant.
Zena Tout, brand director at Tout鈥檚, said the plan for the future was to concentrate heavily on fresh as well as local produce. She told how joining Nisa will enable them to increase the choice of products for customers, including in areas such as the 鈥榝ood for tonight鈥 offer.
She said: 鈥淥ur move to Nisa is not just about the products that we offer changing, but about us being able to discover our own brand 鈥楾out鈥檚鈥.
鈥淭his is our opportunity to stand out from the crowd and build our brand authentically around being 鈥榩assionate about food鈥, through our sourcing, our offer, food art, food knowledge and customer experience.
鈥淲ith the long-term vision of the business and new site developments in the pipeline, having the opportunity and support to trade under our own brand was extremely appealing and is something we have wanted to do for some time.
鈥淲e will now be actively looking for more local suppliers in every department and increasing our ongoing training with all members of our team, especially our department heads, to ensure their product knowledge is brilliant.鈥
An award-winning business, it was founded in 2001, but has a legacy stretching back nearly 40 years to Philip and Lesley Tout鈥檚 repair workshop in Shipham, in the Mendip Hlls, where fuel was also sold.
A taste for the forecourt business saw a retail unit built in neighbouring Rowberrow, before adding Langford - now the busiest site.
In 2006 a site in Nailsea was bought, demolished and rebuilt to offer nearly 5,000sq ft of space, with Subway franchises added under second generation stewardship.
Victoria Lockie, head of key accounts at Nisa, said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e been working really closely with the team at Tout鈥檚 to ensure the right product range is there for them and their shoppers and we can鈥檛 wait to get involved with the transition over to Nisa later this month.
鈥淭out鈥檚 is a very highly respected retailer within the sector, and we鈥檙e honoured to have the opportunity to support them in their plans to grow their business.鈥
The addition of Tout鈥檚 to The Co-op owned Nisa portfolio follows similar recent forecourt additions of Ascona and Highland Group.
