Bestway Wholesale is forging ahead with plans to move to an all-Mercedes-Benz fleet of vans.

The independent food wholesaler made the switch from its previous light commercial vehicle supplier a little over a year ago, when it purchased its first 56 Mercedes-Benz Sprinters from the Rygor Dealer Group and now almost all of its 200 vans are from the manufacturer.

Key to that decision was the fact that the 3.5-tonne Sprinter had not gained significant extra weight in order to meet the latest emissions regulations.

By also substituting traditional ply-lining with a polycarbon alternative that is lighter, Mercedes-Benz was able to offer Bestway a Sprinter in Euro 5b emissions specification with a payload of more than 1,200 kg (after deduction of a 75kg allowance for the driver).

“This was a good deal higher than our established van supplier could come up with,” said Pretash Patel, transport manager at Bestway Wholesale.

“Every single kilo counts in our operation, so the Sprinter’s payload advantage was crucial  winning the business.”

The Sprinters, most of which wear Bestway Foodservice liveries, make daily deliveries to its customer base of independent retailers and caterers.

With a network of 63 Bestway and Batleys branches across England, Scotland and Wales, Bestway has the buying power that allows it to offer a huge range of products at the most competitive prices.