Chill Brands Group PLC (LSE:CHLL), the consumer packaged-goods distributor, has reported a series of operational updates across its distribution and digital businesses as it seeks to broaden its commercial footprint.
The company's Chill Connect division, which operates a national field sales force supplying convenience retailers across the UK, has expanded its product range beyond vaping to include beverages, confectionery and batteries, with the board describing further range expansion as a priority.
Chill Connect has also completed development of a wholesale ordering platform for its retail partners, providing a digital channel through which convenience stores can place orders without input from a field sales representative.
The platform is pending final sign-off on payment processing integration and is expected to go live shortly.
Investors were told it expects the platform to streamline the ordering experience, reduce dependence on cash handling and extend the company's commercial reach given the scale of the independent convenience network it serves.
On the digital side, Chill Brands said it has been approached by a group of digital platform operators interested in building out a broader platform portfolio alongside chill.com, the company's flagship domain asset.
The proposal, described as being at an early stage, would involve licensing a portfolio of complementary digital assets into the company, with a focus on marketplace, social and democratised financing platforms.
The company said these would be developed under the operational stewardship of the incoming platform operators, bringing dedicated resource and development expertise to the business.
Chill Brands cautioned that no binding arrangements have been entered into and that there is no certainty any transaction will be completed.
The chill.com domain has been independently appraised at a material value, and the board has previously described it as the potential anchor of an audience-driven digital platform portfolio.
Callum Sommerton, chief executive, said the board was encouraged by "the operational momentum in Chill Connect and by the strategic progress being made towards the development of a broader digital platform business."