Country Range Group Year-End Results Announced

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Country Range Group Year-End Results Announced

Even in the face of testing conditions within the foodservice sector and not to mention the BREXIT uncertainty, the Country Range Group has announced YOY sales turnover growth of 9.5% after releasing its final year results for 2018.

Highlighting the strength and tenacity of the Group’s 12 independent wholesalers, total sales reached £460 million in 2018, accounting for organic like-for like sales growth of £30 million.

Showcasing the Country Range Group’s growing purchasing power and how they continue to support and provide opportunities for manufacturers and brands, purchasing through the Group increased by 12% in 2018.

Coral Rose, MD of the Country Range Group, commented:

“2018 was another strong year as our members once again outperformed the market delivering impressive YOY sales growth of just under 10%. With record amounts spent on infrastructure, personnel and resources in 2017, our members and their customers are definitely seeing the returns and benefits, which bodes well for the future.”

“While new business and sales growth are obviously vital for our individual members, from a Group perspective our strategic goal is to optimise the level of purchasing throughout the Group. Our purchasing increased by a massive 12%, which is a huge achievement. Increased purchasing from suppliers provides greater scope for national promotional and marketing activity and ensures our members have an unassailable range of branded and own-brand products when it comes to price, quality and trends.”

“It’s this competitive pricing, exciting promotions, access to the Country Range brand and extensive marketing support, along with the personal, reliable and professional customer service that sets our members apart in the foodservice market and highlights the positives of being independent.”

Group Investment

Within the Group, inward investment has once again been central with increased spend on digital marketing, additional freezer space, vehicles and new test and demo kitchens all providing huge benefits to the individual businesses, the supply chain and the Group as a whole.

Country Range Brand

A core reason for the strong Group figures is the impressive performance of the Country Range brand which now accounts for over 750 product lines and is continuously expanding. Fourteen new product launches in 2018 helped the brand’s sales grow by 8% in 2018, taking the total sales value of the brand to the £100 million mark, with a busy NPD schedule already planned for this year ahead.

Country Range Group Annual Exhibition

The annual trade exhibition also saw record attendance figures as over 400 member delegates and suppliers flocked to Liverpool to attend the widely-acclaimed event and its Beatles-themed afterparty at the Cavern Club. Taking place at the ACC Liverpool on the 20th June, the hugely successful CRG trade event provided suppliers with the perfect opportunity to reach, demonstrate and sell to the Country Range Group’s 12 independent members. Over £2.75 million in sales was generated for suppliers on the day.

Foodservice Trend Guide 2019/20

The Country Range Group has also recently launched its first Foodservice Trend Guide. This detailed customer resource explores consumer behaviour and provides detailed info on the latest food trends, ingredients, cuisines, techniques and concepts. A valuable resource and business booster, the guide is already being used by chefs and caterers across all sectors so they can take advantage of opportunities and thrive.

Kara partners with Weetabix to launch nutritious breakfast muffins

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Kara partners with Weetabix to launch nutritious breakfast muffins

Kara, the foodservice arm of the Finsbury Food Group, has announced its partnership with breakfast giant Weetabix to bring new breakfast muffins to the foodservice sector. Available now, the muffins come in two flavours, Apricot & Oat and Apple & Raisin; each muffin is low in saturated fat and a source of fibre giving consumers a delicious, nutritious on-the-go breakfast option.

While the majority of breakfast consumption still takes place at home, research from Weetabix has shown that the breakfast occasion is now more dynamic than ever, with a quarter of consumers eating breakfast on the move and over a third of people now eating at desks. Kara and Weetabix have launched the new muffins to give operators an on-the-go quick and nutritious breakfast offer for their customers.

Jane Olney, Commercial Director for Foodservice at Kara, commented: “It was great to partner with Weetabix to bring this muffin to the market. Consumers are increasingly eating out of home at breakfast so it’s important that breakfast choices are healthy and help keep them full until lunch time. Not only have we kept the saturated fat and salt to a minimum, we’ve also packed the product full of fruit and high levels of fibre to ensure multiple nutritional benefits from each muffin.”

Francesca Davies, Marketing Director, Weetabix, said: “Breakfast is a dynamic occasion for consumers and businesses and while the majority of people still eat breakfast at home, we understand that lives are getting busier. Being able to grab a convenient, nutritious and tasty breakfast has never been more important. We are excited about the possibilities that a muffin from Weetabix will bring for consumers looking to pick up a breakfast on the move and for retailers looking to delight their shoppers with something new and relevant.”

The muffins come wrapped in a Weetabix branded tulip case and are exclusively available through Kara Foodservice. Two pack formats are available: in a case of 4 x 6 which can be included as part of a display and also individually wrapped for maximum on-the-go ease. A Blueberry variant is also available as an individually wrapped option.

Company Shop Group Secures Landmark Government Funding to Tackle Food Waste

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Company Shop Group Secures Landmark Government Funding to Tackle Food Waste

Government awards £2 million to food waste pioneer
Group’s Harnessing Harder to Reach Surplus project set to save additional 3,000 tonnes of good food from going to waste

Company Shop Group, the UK’s largest commercial redistributor of surplus food and household products, has today been awarded nearly £2 million (£1,960,575) worth of funding as part of Defra’s commitment to significantly reduce the amount of food unnecessarily going to waste in England.

The Group, which comprises of commercial redistribution business Company Shop and social enterprise Community Shop, will use the funding to support its new Harnessing Harder to Reach Surplus project, aided by the creation of a new, specialist team of surplus intervention experts.

The Group’s trailblazing project is aimed at identifying, re-purposing and redistributing the harder to reach surplus from higher up the supply chain. It will provide a solution that no other redistributor can, addressing the complex interventions necessary. This is valuable surplus stock that has not been redistributed, until now, due to the cost and complexity of accessing it.

The harder to reach surplus requires a more intensive intervention, which the Group has the five decades of experience, expertise and technical infrastructure to achieve.

The specialist team will spend the majority of their time working in manufacturing sites, alongside the internal manufacturing teams, to identify and provide practicable solutions for food safe product. Due to some barriers – be they financial, operational or other – these products are currently being identified as “waste” instead of valuable “surplus”.

Company Shop Group already handled more than 70 million surplus items in 2018 alone. With this additional funding, the Group can widen its reach and maximise its value which will enable it to:

Deliver positive environmental impact through reduction of unnecessary food waste
Provide a greater financial return to the manufacturing industry for their products
Generate an even greater level of positive social impact for the Group’s members who access the food – many of whom are on low-incomes and live in disadvantaged communities
The profits of food sales from this project will all be invested into social enterprise, Community Shop, to continue to expand its award-winning social impact.

Alongside the team of specialists and the invaluable support already provided by the Group to the industry, the fund will also go towards the production of a suite of awareness raising assets to influence and educate manufacturers about the possibilities and values of redistributing hard to reach surplus. It will also see the roll out of toolkits across the supply chain to increase the redistribution of this surplus.

Speaking about the Company Shop Group’s funding award, Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

“Food waste is unnecessary and morally unforgivable. We must end it, and our £15 million fund is a true game-changer in making that happen.

“I am thrilled that this first round of funding will allow these terrific projects to redistribute even more perfectly good food, making sure it ends up where it belongs – on people’s plates and stomachs.”

Commenting on the announcement, Jane Marren, Company Shop Group Managing Director, said:

“We are delighted to be one of the redistribution organisations selected by Defra, to receive this landmark funding for our Harnessing Harder to Reach Surplus project. This funding represents a significant step forward by the Government in recognising the importance of investing in a range of surplus redistribution options to reduce food waste. There is no one size fits all approach to the food waste challenge.

“The grant will bolster our half century of experience, technical infrastructure and capabilities, trusted industry partnerships, and sustainable business model. Through this project, we will now be redistributing even more surplus food to reach people in need, with the impact and legacy of our project being felt way beyond the lifetime of the fund.

“We look forward to working closely with industry to identify and unlock the value of more of their surplus stock.”

An example of one collaboration, which Company Shop Group will begin to explore as a result of the Defra funding, is to see how they can work with British food manufacturer Samworth Brothers, to seek new, additional solutions to the surplus created in the process of producing sandwiches. There will always be component ingredients leftover at the end of a sandwich production run and Company Shop will work with Samworth Brothers to look at further ways that this product can be packaged up and used for other purposes.

Speaking about the potential in this partnership, Deborah Carlin, Head of Responsible Business at Samworth Brothers said:

“We are committed to reducing waste and ensuring that as much as possible of the food we produce gets eaten.

“We welcome the opportunity and resources unlocked by this funding, which will help us work with Company Shop Group to work on further ways to address the more difficult surplus that arises in sustainable, creative and cost-effective ways.”

The launch of the Harnessing Harder to Reach Surplus project, following the Government’s announcement today, comes after another hugely successful milestone for the Group, having been awarded its second Queen’s Award for Enterprise in five years, just last month. The Group was praised for its sustainable development and commercial success, whilst delivering positive economic, environmental and social benefits to society.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs invited food redistribution organisations to apply for the first £5 million round of funding, under a multi-million pound pilot scheme to reduce food waste. This funding allocation is the first part of a £15 million scheme to specifically address surplus food in retail and manufacturing – overcoming financial barriers to redistribution.

Caterforce launches new Chefs’ Selections cake range

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Caterforce launches new Chefs’ Selections cake range

Leading foodservice buying group, Caterforce, has launched eight new cake products as part of its own-label Chefs’ Selections range and has promised a cost-effective range of celebratory cakes based on the latest trends.

The eight products are split into two categories, ‘Colour Pop’ and ‘Elegant and Fresh’.

The ‘Colour Pop’ range is made up of four brightly coloured celebration cakes: Pinata cake, Rainbow cake, Funfetti cake and Citrus Sunbeam cake, aimed at family focused establishments, they make the perfect showstoppers for any celebration.

The ‘Elegant and Fresh’ range also contains four products: Persian Style Lemon cake, Lemon & Elderflower cake, Victoria Sponge cake and Blueberry Muffin cake. With a more upmarket focus, the elegant cakes are perfect for afternoon tea and special occasions.

Nick Redford, Managing Director at Caterforce said: “Consumers love eye-catching and aspirational cakes that they can’t make at home or buy in supermarkets. They are ideal for coffee shops, pubs, restaurants and hotels.

“Cakes are a key category for the hospitality and catering sector and we’re confident that our Chefs’ Selections range is offering our customers a cost-effective product line that doesn’t compromise on quality or taste.

“Our award-winning Chefs’ Selections range has been a huge success since its launch in 2012 and we’ve taken our experience with existing products to ensure the new cake range is competitively priced whilst meeting the demands of consumers.”

The new Chefs’ Selections cake range, which is in addition to the coffee shop cake range currently available from Caterforce, includes:

Pinata Cake: A chocolate masterpiece irresistibly topped with multicoloured buttercream swirls and sugar sprinkles. Filled with chocolate buttercream and for the pinata effect, milk chocolate beans which spill out.

Rainbow Cake: Seven brightly coloured layers of Victoria sponge, coated with buttercream and topped with a spectacular multi-hued crumb decoration.

Funfetti Cake: Two moist layers of Victoria sponge speckled with confetti colours, covered with opulent buttercream and finished with a chocolate flavoured pink drip and sugar sprinkle ball decorations.

Citrus Sunbeam Cake: Triple layers of yellow, orange and white sponge cake with orange and lemon curd layers and topped with yellow, orange and white buttercream.

Persian Style Lemon Cake: Two moist layers of lemon sponge with lemon curd and fresh lemon zest baked in and filled with geranium and lemon curd flavoured buttercream. It’s topped with lemon drizzle, hand piped rose swirls, edible rose petals, pistachios and lemon curd drops.

Lemon and Elderflower Cake: A two-layer sponge cake filled and covered with lemon and elderflower buttercream and a further layer of lemon curd inside. This is topped with white chocolate coated cereal and malt balls and a shimmering silver finish.

Victoria Sponge Cake: A premium Victoria sponge filled with raspberry jam and buttercream. Topped with hand piped swirls of buttercream, piped drizzles of raspberry jam and sprinkles of sweet sugar.

Blueberry Muffin: A two-layer cake filled with buttercream and blueberry compote and finished with a light dusting of white sugar snow.

Nick added: “Consumers want cakes that taste as good as they look. We’ve been rigorously testing during the product development process to ensure each ingredient is the best for that product. The designs have also been carefully considered to create a range of ‘Instagram-worthy’ cakes that an outlet will be proud to show off and will entice people in.”

The cake range is already receiving high recognition with its Persian Style Lemon Cake and Chocolate Pinata Cake given accolades as finalists in the Chefs’ Choice Awards, which reward foodservice excellence.

For more information visit www.caterforce.co.uk.

Applications open for role of Chairperson at anaerobic digestion trade body

Posted on April 24, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Applications open for role of Chairperson at anaerobic digestion trade body

Chairperson will lead trade association into its second decade
New role will replace that of Chief Executive and “help deliver vision of a world-leading UK AD industry”
Applications for post open until Tuesday 30^th April

Applications are now open for the new role of Chairperson at the Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association (ADBA), the UK’s trade body for anaerobic digestion (AD).

The new Chairperson, who will replace the role of Chief Executive, will be responsible for driving the association’s strategy, developing its business plan, representing the association at the highest levels, and engaging with ADBA’s members and other stakeholders. They will be supported by ADBA’s Advisory Board and the executive team.

The chosen candidate will be a high-profile figure with extensive experience in the AD sector and with ambitious and deliverable ideas for ensuring the UK AD industry can grow to meet its full potential.

Once the Chairperson is in place, ADBA Chief Executive Charlotte Morton will continue on ADBA’s Advisory Board and in her associated role of Chief Executive of We Are Orchard, the company that has been providing association management services to ADBA and other green sector trade associations including the World Biogas Association for the past three years. Ms Morton will be responsible for the delivery of the new ADBA Chairperson’s strategy and business plan, with the operation and administration of ADBA otherwise remaining unchanged.

The announcement of the new role was first made at the ADBA National Conference 2018 in December. Applications to the role will close on Tuesday 30^th April.

Ms Morton said:

“With so much uncertainty in the UK as a result of Brexit and a changing political landscape, it’s vital that ADBA stays one step ahead of the game to ensure that we put the AD industry in the best possible position to meet its huge potential over the coming years. We believe that the appointment of a new Chairperson is the best way to do this, and we are intending for the new Chairperson to be in place in time for the celebration of our tenth anniversary in October.

“The new Chairperson will work closely with ADBA’s members, the Advisory Board, and all key stakeholders to create an exciting new chapter in the story of this vital technology and grow ADBA’s membership to build on existing opportunities both here in the UK and abroad. They will also take forward our focus on benchmarking excellence, which started in 2017 with the launch of the AD Certification Scheme.

“With the drivers behind the AD industry such as climate change and decarbonisation becoming ever more urgent and government slowly realising what AD can deliver, the industry is poised for exponential growth over the next ten years. The new ADBA Chairperson will have the relevant experience and passion to lead this AD revolution and turn this potential into reality.”

The job description for the role of Chairperson can be found here.

Record numbers join RHA truck cartel claim

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Record numbers join RHA truck cartel claim

www.truckcartellegalaction.com

More than 10,000 truck operators have signed up or registered to the Road Haulage Association’s cartel claim to secure compensation for firms who paid artificially high prices for their vehicles.

The claim – which has the largest take up in Europe – is already estimated to be worth more than £1.5bn, and follows the 2016 European Commission ruling against a number of truck manufacturers who were found to have illegally fixed truck prices between 1997 and 2011.

The RHA’s application to represent the industry will be heard by the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) hearing in June which will decide whether the Association will be appointed class representative to go ahead with its compensation claim.

RHA chief executive, Richard Burnett is confident that the RHA will get the green light to go ahead with their claim. He said that more than 8,700 operators have already joined and a further 1,400 are going through a sign-up process with more joining the process every day.

“The truck cartel operated for 14 years and it’s likely that its impact on truck prices continued even beyond that. We’re working tirelessly to ensure that truck operators who suffered as a result get the compensation they deserve.”

Steven Meyerhoff, a director at Backhouse Jones, who leads the RHA’s external legal team said: “If the RHA is successful in being appointed class representative, this will be the first case of its kind under the new regime and will mark an important shift towards ensuring that those who suffer financial harm at the hands of competition law infringers get the redress they deserve.

Mr Meyerhoff urged any UK truck operators who haven’t yet signed up to the RHA’s claim to do so.

Click Here to find out how to sign up to the RHA’s collective claim.

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