Food supply wholesaler Butterfield & Vallis is bracing itself for a massive increase in sales related to the America’s Cup.

The company predicts that sales in the run-up to the competition next year will jump between 15 and 20 per cent — and tomorrow it will hold a special trade show to highlight to customers the need to be prepared for the world-class event.

Alun Hughes, general manager of Butterfield & Vallis, said the company was planning an operation of military precision to ensure the cup was plain sailing for customers and visitors.

He added: “What we’re trying to do is get across to people the size of the operation and, obviously, the management of that.

“For planning and logistics, at this point, we’re looking at 15 to 20 per cent. Our expectation is all the hotels will be full and there will be a number of visitors over and above the normal requirements. Mr Hughes said that, in addition to hotels, the island will be invaded by America’s Cup fans on yachts, as well as people staying with friends or who have made alternative arrangements to hotels — boosting demand still further.”

Mr Hughes said: “Some of our sales are out of Europe which means the delivery time required is significantly greater than the States.”

And he added: “We only have one chance at it, so it’s very important we get it right.”

But he promised: “We will be doing our part to make sure it all happens — we envisage we will be a 24-hour operation for the duration.”

Mr Hughes was speaking in advance of the invitation-only trade show, to be held under the banner of “Be Prepared” and held at the Hamilton Princess.

The company expects that more than 40 overseas suppliers will attend, as well as several on-island suppliers like Gosling’s Rum.

Mr Hughes said: “The last thing we want to see is if someone goes to a restaurant and some of the things they expect to see aren’t available — that’s unacceptable.”

He added that the firm would deploy its state-of-the-art inventory software programmes to keep pace with demand — and use a Japanese-style “just-in-time” system to maximise the available storage space.

Mr Hughes said: “If the volume is increasing and your systems are robust, theoretically we are literally bringing more in as we’re moving it out. We don’t necessarily require additional storage capacity.”

He added that the island would play host to a fleet of tall ships at the end of May and into the start of June, who would have different revictualling requirements.

Kate Cabral, sales and customer service manager at the firm, added that the show, held annually, also helped customers keep up with the latest culinary trends.

She said: “One thing would be grass-fed beef and pork which are up and coming trends as far as proteins go. We’re also offering new beverage items for the island — Spindrift is a range of natural sodas.”

Ms Cabral added: “We’ve got to make sure we have the right mix of products in stock.”

Ms Cabral added: “We’re trying to reduce our impact of our traffic on the roads so we are in and out before the roads get busy with the influx of tourist we are expecting.

“We’re definitely a military operation these days — we’ve been purchasing for a while, so we’re well organised for the volumes we are expecting. We will also have virtual warehouses ready in the States for a quick turnaround of products.”