Dear Customer
Following the announcement by the Prime Minister on Monday 23rd March we would like to confirm that WE REMAIN OPEN FOR BUSINESS. We continue to support our customers and are still delivering existing orders and accept any new ones.
VOW Wholesale fulfils a vital role in providing supplies to your customers, including many front-line and Government listed key workers. This includes the NHS, GPs and their surgeries, the Ambulance Service, the Fire and Rescue Service, the Police, educational establishments, banking and finance, supermarkets, corporate businesses and SMBs – all services which are underpinning our society today.
We are open for business and will continue to deliver our service to support those who are staying operational or working from home during this time.
Our employees remain working in our warehouses, offices and on our transport fleet. We continue to adhere to strict social distancing and staff are working from home wherever possible. We have distributed protective equipment to all employees in our warehouse and transport departments.
We’d like to take this opportunity again to thank the VOW Wholesale teams for their dedication and support that enables delivery of your products in challenging times.
We’re aiming to continue to deliver our service to support our customers who are staying operational or working from home during this time, please refer to the ‘Receiving deliveries’ section below.
We will continue to listen and adapt to our customers’ changing requirements in this uncertain time.
Please stay safe, we are here working round the clock to support you.
I’d like to thank you again for your patience and understanding in these circumstances.
Adrian Butler, Managing Director
VOW Wholesale
Information and updates – please keep looking on our website for updates
As you can appreciate, the safety and well-being of everyone connected with VOW Wholesale is our number one priority. We will continue to follow the latest advice from the Government and the World Health Organisation with regards to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. We’ve tried to answer some of the important questions that you may have right now and will continue to keep this page updated regularly.
Receiving deliveries
Will your drivers still deliver as normal?
We will continue to make deliveries. Our teams are still working and deliveries are going out daily. If you or your customers are unable to accept your delivery, please get in touch with your VOW account contact as soon as possible, so that we can take action. You may experience longer delivery lead times, which will have an impact on our service as a result of employee absence. We are doing everything we can to maintain our delivery service to our customers, while ensuring the safety of our employees. Please re-visit this page for the most up to date information. Your account contact will also be able to help with any queries.
Can VOW Wholesale deliver to home locations instead of office premises?
We do this already utilising our renowned Wrapide service. Please contact your account contact to discuss.
Can I change the delivery address on my existing order?
Unfortunately not, once your order has been placed we can not manually change the delivery address. As above, please get in touch with your account contact to set up alternative delivery addresses for any future orders.
What happens if I’m not able to accept my delivery?
Please get in touch with your VOW Wholesale account contact as soon possible and we will endeavour to re-deliver the order the next working day. If this is not possible, regrettably your order will be returned to our warehouse and considered as a cancelled transaction. In this instance, credits will be applied via the usual process.
Will our employees have to touch handheld devices when they receive a delivery?
No. In order to protect both our people and our customers, as of Friday 20th March 2020 we will not be handing over our hand-held devices to customers to capture electronic signatures. Our drivers will instead log the first and last name of the person accepting the item and we will record the geolocation of the delivery (where possible). This will apply to all deliveries that normally require a signature. Again, this step is being taken to protect our staff and customers alike and we ask that you support this action. Should you later need a proof of delivery, please get in touch with your account contact or our customer services team.
Stock levels and supply chain
Do you have hand sanitiser in stock? ARE WE – I’ve not heard this?
We are taking orders for hand sanitiser products, but there is an understandable delay because demand has outstripped supply. We would like to reassure customers that we have established a secure UK manufactured product and will fulfil orders as quickly as possible. Any orders placed on these products are currently non returnable or cancellable.
Will I be able to receive all my normal goods and do you have a robust supply chain?
VOW Wholesale, as part of the EVO Group, have a robust supply chain. We also have the largest stock holding in our industry. We trade with both global suppliers and UK based manufacturers. We have been assured by our suppliers that they are prioritising VOW within their supply chain. We rely and trust our suppliers to provide accurate information in terms of deliveries to us and we will tell you what they tell us. These are unprecedented trading conditions, so supply will be more unpredictable than normal and it is possible that some deliveries will be delayed.
Why are there so many Coronavirus (COVID-19) related goods out of stock?
The demand from customers has expanded many times beyond our suppliers’ abilities to supply. We are working hard with them to secure stocks of key lines at a quantity that will allow us to fulfil orders more quickly over the coming weeks.
When will I be able to get goods that help keep my office spaces clean and my employees safe?
We have prioritised an appropriate range of goods and our inventory teams are working hard to make these goods available. We aim at all times to provide accurate dates for future receipts of stock in to our operation. We are relying on our suppliers to provide accurate updates, however as this virus spreads to a greater proportion of the population things may change beyond our control and without notice.
Business precautions and procedures
What precautions and procedures have you put in place for your employees?
The safety and well-being of everyone related to VOW Wholesale is our priority and we will continue to follow the latest advice from the Government and the World Health Organisation with regards to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. We are asking staff where possible to work from home. We also have office, warehouse and transport roles and have taken measures to distribute protective equipment to these employees. We have prepared a COVID-19 policy document in line with HR best practice to ensure all VOW Wholesale employees are clear on the measures in place. This is being reviewed and updated as the situation changes.
There is a possibility that there will be delays to response times. We would ask you to order online as much as possible and look out for updates on this page. You may deal with different staff to normal due to the changing situation. We have crossed trained staff to be able to work over a range of functions and we will deal with your enquiry as promptly as we can.
Will your warehouses still operate?
Our ADC (CENTRAL AND DISTRIBUTION DEPOT) warehouse is still operating. While there are several elements of automation within our warehouse operations we do require manual input to bring our service to our customers. We have multi-skilled operatives who can work outside of their normal area in order to help cover changes in resource that we find on any one day. We will flex overtime, weekend working and temporary staff as required to deliver our service. There is a possibility that your usual next day service may not be met depending on demand and staff availability. Our employees’ health and well-being remains a priority while also delivering our service to you.
Is your IT platform robust?
Our systems are robust and are regularly maintained and upgraded. We do not foresee any risks to our systems at this point, providing our outsourced third party partners provision remains in place e.g. phone systems, broadband, electricity etc.
Will I be able to visit your sites?
We are no longer allowing any non-employees to visit our sites. Should there be any extenuating circumstance a relevant Director will make the decision whether or not to make an exception. This decision will be based on Government advice regarding social distancing at that time.
Will you be visiting my business?
We have instructed all employees to arrange meetings remotely and have put in place measures to protect our transport team and customers when making deliveries. Should there be an extenuating circumstance a relevant Director will make the decision to allow, or not, a face-to-face meeting. This decision will be based on Government advice regarding social distancing at that time. We will not ask an employee to visit your site against their wishes.
Is VOW Wholesale financially stable?
As part of the large privately owned EVO Group we are financially stable. We have the ability to call on working capital as may be required during this abnormal trading position.
Government Recommendations
VOW Wholesale will follow Government Recommendations on behalf of our staff, customers and suppliers. We have issued all staff with clear guidelines and a policy as we navigate through this period.