The Distributors – Connecting Products, Suppliers and People in 2025

The Distributors, a cooperative of independent, local P&C focused transport and logistics companies, came together on the Gold Coast last week for the National Conference, where distributors were joined by product and service suppliers, key retailers and industry experts to learn, focus, plan and celebrate.

The pandemic bought the role of all supply chain participants into sharp relief for many Australian consumers, however in petrol and convenience, where deep product offerings are combined with ever evolving new product lines and local delivery pressures, the importance of the ‘into store’ element of the supply chain has never been far from operators minds. This often hidden (at least from the customer) element of the supply chain is absolutely vital to the success of independent P&C operators.

Just as the distribution chains were recovering the cost of living crunch, and the resultant changes to consumer purchase patterns, has once again been a challenge to supply chain planning, from in country product manufacturing all the way to the retail shelf.

The Distributors have proven themselves over and again to be more than a supplier to be a partner in success, delivering the local, customised and exceptional service that retailers demand.

This core commitment to service is a fundamental tenant of The Distributors as a group, a commitment that was woven throughout the conference.

“Retailer, Supplier and Distributors need to work together to focus on having the right product in the right location at the right time at the right price, so that our consumers continue to shop, support and seek local” says George Tsapoutas, CEO of The Distributors.

“We are in the business of connecting. We connect suppliers with retailers, retailers with products, products with consumers, consumers with brands, and brands with retailers and consumers – and if only for a moment, we connect people with their needs and fun. We deliver meaningful connections when we focus on service”.

“For us as Distributors, it is all about SERVICE! We are known for our service and we have to ensure that we continue to focus and deliver that exceptional service every day for our customers. This is critical to our long term success”, continued George.

This message was heard loud and clear by the cooperative members in the Member Only Session on Day 1, where Mr Tsapoutas provided members with an update on the results of the previous year and the projects planned for the coming year.

Members received a confidential update on internal delivery platforms as well as several insights presentations on key channel performance and technology developments, with presentations from;

Andrew Johnson, National Supplier & Customer Relationship Manager, The Distributors
Michelle Terblanche, National Sales Manager, The Distributors
Kumar Konduru, IT Manager, The Distributors
Russell Burns, Retail & Consumer Goods Account Director, Sales Force
Mark Williams, Operations Manager, The Distributors
Jamie Sullivan, Director, Australian Independent Distributors Alliance
Karen Campbell, Founder, My Brandz Software,

as well as an employment compliance workshop lead by ACAPMAs Elisha Radwanowski.

Held in the stunning environs of the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort on the Gold Coast, Day 1 opened with a Distributor Member Only Session before the broader supplier and partner delegates were invited to join for some learning and networking, guided by Olympic Swimming Legend and MC extraordinaire Brooke Hanson.

After a networking lunch delegates were provided with network, market and economic updates from Theo Foukkare, CEO, AACS and Andrew Johnson, National Supplier & Customer Relationship Manager, The Distributors.

Following a quick afternoon tea recharge Dr Colm Flanagan, founder, HI.RO.CO took the delegates behind the curtain on the practical opportunities that AI presents at the intersection of human, robotics and computing to deliver real outcomes in a distribution setting through multi-agent orchestration.

After a full day learning delegates kicked back and watched the sunset at the poolside Welcome Function.

The early birds got a jump on Day 2 with a V Rise and Shine Suntory Oceania beach walk.

Day 2 proper kicked off for everyone else when the suppliers, distributors, retailers and experts came together for the “speedating” style Pitch Deck Sessions. These deep, focused networking sessions seeing suppliers sitting down together explore offerings in a tight 20 minutes per meeting.

With many breaks to visit the onsite convenience store to refuel, and a presentation from Independent Food Distributors Australia (IFDA) CEO Richard Forbes on the associations advocacy on behalf of distributor members.

Day 2 finished up with the PepsiCo Carnivale where delegates were delighted by a night dolphin show and then taken back to childhood with a fairground dinner including food trucks, old school arcade games, and many laughs.

Day 3 the Pitch Deck Sessions continued for the morning as delegates got to the serious business of going beyond networking into actual meetings and business discussions in a focused, high efficiency setting.

After lunch Karen Campbell, Founder, My Brandz Software provided the broader group with an update on the marketing software. The last conference session ended with a keynote from Ashley Fell, self confessed spreadsheet nerd and demographics expert from Mcrindle provided the delegates with an engaging insight into the current and emerging demographic pressures facing food and beverage retailers and supply chain.