On Tuesday 13th December BFFF attended an INCPEN webinar where they revealed the headlines from their annual citizens survey covering…
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Family business Oakland International and Attwell Farm Park have partnered in support of Hope4’s Winter Coats Campaign to collect as many winter coats and warm clothes as possible for children in great need in the Ukraine and Moldova.
Oakland International have donated the transport to take all donated items its partner depot in Chisinau in Moldova where they will be distributed and sent to those most in need in both Moldova and Ukraine. Hope4 is a small charity based in Moldova which provides immediate and urgent support to Ukrainian Refugees and very poor families in Moldova and the Ukraine.
Oakland International’s Luke Attwell explained: “A large percentage of the children the campaign will be supporting in Moldova are Ukrainian refugees needing urgent help, and we hope to send a full lorry load of warm clothing, so please donate warm clothes and anything essential to help keep these children warm this winter. Any, and all help will be greatly appreciated.”
“Having visited Hope4 in Moldova and seen the work that is being done first hand to directly support those most in need, I can assure everyone donating that every item will find its way to someone in need.”
Good quality used winter coats, warm clothing, hats, scarves, gloves can all be dropped off at Attwell Farm Park in Beoley, Redditch, and new items ordered online can be sent direct to Oakland International at the following address:
Winter Coat Campaign, Oakland International, Seafield Lane, Beoley, Redditch, B98 9DB.
People can also donate via their fundraising page to enable them to buy coats for children: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/coats4christmas
Supported by private donors who cover all operating costs Hope4 works to change the impact of poverty, crime and conflict for so many people here in the UK, Ukraine, Moldova and Romania.
Samuel Attwell added: “By donating you will be supporting so many displaced children living in poverty so please help Hope4 keep children warm this winter, as temperatures drop to -5c in Moldova.”
Fresh Direct, the UK’s leading foodservice provider of fresh produce, is predicting that innovation will help drive sales of traditional vegetables this Christmas.
Traditional vegetables continue to perform well, with volumes up year on year, pointing to some more normality returning to Christmas trading. However, the growth in prepared products is more spectacular, up by around 20% as the festive period comes closer and pressures on kitchens increase, with fewer and less skilled staff available.
The company is seeing greater sales of specialist ingredients including quince, bergamot orange, and Douglas Forest Fir, as venues seek different flavour profiles and menu standout. These are joining twists on popular veg with coloured varieties, for example purple heritage and rainbow carrots, proving particularly popular this year, along with baby vegetables, such as baby turnips.
This year, Fresh Direct’s M&J Fresh Seafood is seeing more twists on the traditional, for example popular classics like smoked salmon are getting a festive makeover with flavours such as orange and fennel pollen elevating the more traditional variety; and Loch Reared Trout is proving popular with flavours, including Beetroot and Dill and Kedgeree Spiced Trout, giving a new flavour combination to this popular fish.
Ian Nottage, Head of Food Development, Fresh Direct, said: “Christmas isn’t just about carrots and sprouts, there are around 250 different prepared fruit and veg lines available as customers look for opportunities to create menu standout.
“Christmas favourites will always dominate, but we’re also seeing a huge increase in prepared ranges with whole prepared Butternut Squash, Prepared Swede, quartered parsnip and diced potato seeing some of the greatest growth.”
Innovative supply chain solutions developer Principal Logistics Technologies has appointed two new senior sales managers, recruited several technical specialists to its development and support teams, and opened a new office in Birmingham, UK to support its ongoing business growth. The company has secured a number of new contracts in the past year and expanding its operations in these key areas will reinforce its business development, enhance its customer services, accelerate the development of its core WMS, ERP and SCM applications, and provide additional support to its growing customer base.
Aidan Rice and Bright Masih have joined the company as sales managers. Aidan and Bright will provide additional resources to liaise with customers across all sectors. Both report to Sales Director Joe O’Shea. Aidan is an experienced senior professional with in-depth knowledge across multiple business functions and business sectors. He has held numerous senior and leadership roles in businesses in the UK and Ireland over the past 20 years. Bright has more than 20 years’ experience in senior sales and business development roles for various international software companies covering sectors such as warehousing and retail.
“Bright and Aidan have the detailed knowledge and understanding of our rapidly evolving market that will add value for our customers and reinforce our sales offering,” says Joe O’Shea. “We have won a number of new contracts this year in sectors such as 3PL, pharmaceuticals, transport, food service, temperature controlled, and retail and they will help us build on these achievements and grow our business.”
Principal Logistics Technologies has recruited a number of application specialists to its development and support teams based in Dublin, Ireland and Manchester, UK. The six new team members will add skills and resource across the company’s portfolio and enable it to introduce new and additional capabilities in areas such as eCommerce, AI, web-enablement, and business intelligence. The new recruits will report to Chief Product Officer Mike Cox.
“Our products are already web-enabled and include numerous artificial intelligence-based capabilities as well as optional business intelligence functionality, and these areas are evolving rapidly,” says Mike Cox. “Adding to our team in these areas will expand our ability to support new and existing customers and develop our products to meet their future expectations and requirements.”
The new Principal Logistics Technologies office in Birmingham was opened earlier in 2023 to complement its existing operations in Dublin, Ireland and Manchester, UK. The location was chosen because of its proximity to numerous current and anticipated warehouse developments and logistics hubs in central and eastern England, including those located along the M6, M1, M40, and A14 motorways.
“We have had another successful year with new contracts across many sectors as customers recognise our ability to provide innovative solutions to support and enhance their rapidly evolving supply chain operations,” says Joe O’Shea. “Adding to our business development, technical, and support teams will enable us to provide even higher levels of service, maintain our position as a product and business innovator, and continue to build for the future.”
Flexible online training from Mentor helps managers to keep sites safer and more profitable
With exceptionally high conviction rates and record fines resulting from HSE prosecutions, the pressure on managers to prioritise site safety has never been greater.
Now more than ever, the need for managers to understand and fulfil their requirements is evident, which explains why the Managing Forklift Operations e-learning course delivered by Mentor FLT Training is proving so successful.
“It has exceeded our expectations, with literally thousands of managers signing up,” explains Stuart Taylor, Managing Director of Mentor. “The course has been developed specifically to help managers overseeing forklift operations understand and meet their responsibilities for day-to-day safety. And, because it is an e-learning solution, it has made this vital training more accessible, with busy managers able to train when and where they choose, fitting training around their daily demands.”
As a result, the AITT-approved course has been adopted by businesses of all types and sizes across a wide range of industries, with some making it a mandatory requirement for all managers, and others even rolling out the course as part of a worldwide forklift safety programme.
Larger organisations have opted for Mentor’s licensed version of the course, which allows for integration with a company’s own learner management systems. This has granted them easy access to their own reporting data and helped them to keep all training records in one place for convenience and consistency.
“Managers and supervisors drive a site’s culture and determine its norms, but the skills required to do so successfully cannot simply be ‘picked up on the job’,” adds Stuart Taylor. “From our own research, more than half the managers we met had never driven a forklift or received any formal training and a staggering 90% were unclear of their legal responsibilities.
“Those responsible for upholding forklift safety need the knowledge and confidence to rectify any bad practice that they encounter day to day, and this was the driver for creating the Managing Forklift Operations course. What’s more, we found they needed a flexible way to access this training, as face-to-face learning was not feasible for every business. The e-learning option provides a simple, cost-effective way to help managers obtain the training they need to keep their forklift operations safe, compliant and profitable.”
For more information call Mentor FLT Training on 01246 555222 or visit www.mentortraining.co.uk/managing-forklift-operations-e-learning
Presenting our distinguished creation: Mini Cypriot Halloumi Spirals – an exquisite blend of crispy filo, authentic Cypriot Halloumi, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Ioniki takes pride in preserving the unparalleled crispiness of filo while introducing a captivating new filling of the renowned Cyprus Halloumi.
This culinary masterpiece features crispy filo adorned with whole pieces of authentic Cyprus Halloumi, elegantly complemented by the enticing aroma of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The infusion of fresh Greek herbs, including the perennial favorite oregano, enhances the overall sensory experience, creating a harmonious symphony of flavors.
Noteworthy is the super-convenient packaging, meticulously designed to contain 450 grams of this delectable creation. Mini Cypriot Halloumi Spirals encapsulate the essence of Mediterranean culinary excellence, offering a delightful and convenient gastronomic experience.
McClures, a family-run wholesaler, has been able to expand its business and meet customer demand thanks to the integration of Petit Forestier’s state-of-the-art cold storage containers.
Based in the heart of the Lake District, McClures continues to grow its customer base and orders at a rapid pace, but redeveloping their existing business premises at scale has been a huge challenge due to the strict planning regulations associated with the area of outstanding natural beauty.
A search for a new, larger headquarters has proved equally difficult as the company wishes to retain its foundations in Windemere, where it champions local supplies to the regional hospitality sector.
McClures instead looked for alternative solutions to grow their cold storage and effectively utilise the space the business already has.
After successfully leasing several vehicles from Petit Forestier, they turned to the refrigeration experts searching for an answer to their storage problem. Three years on, McClures now leases four cold storage containers from Petit Forestier, all on long-term hires.
The collaboration has not only enhanced the company’s storage, but the containers have played a pivotal role in the unprecedented growth McClures has seen coming out of the pandemic.
Jeremy Cowan, Transport Manager at McClures, said: “Coming out of the first lockdown we saw our business go from barely ticking over to off the scale when people were unable to go abroad but could travel around the UK. The lake district became a prime spot for holidaymakers, and we quickly found we were running out of storage space and struggling to meet customer demand. With not being able to easily build onto our current premises and the addition of not wanting to move away from our customers, it soon became an issue.
“With Petit Forestier’s cold storage containers, we have been able to meet the demands of our customers and stay local, without the need to invest resources into moving premises or going through lengthy planning applications. The containers are easy to install, and the reliability and ease of use have not only optimised our storage, but they’ve contributed significantly to our overall business growth.”
The cold storage containers come with a range of innovative features that include customisable solutions tailored to your business, reduced operational costs, and minimal noise when in operation.
Jeremy added: “The only thing we have to do often is check that they’re still running! The containers are so quiet and bearing in mind we’re surrounded by hotels and guest houses; we have had no complaints about the noise the containers produce, so they really have been a perfect solution for us.”
Chris Algeo-Brown, Head of Cold Storage Solutions at Petit Forestier UK & Ireland, explained: “Petit Forestier has a long history of pushing the boundaries of innovation in the refrigeration industry. Our cold storage offering is a testament to our commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our customers including getting the containers to them quickly and then providing ongoing maintenance services from our Field based Refrigeration Engineers. We’re thrilled to offer McClure the most advanced solution for maintaining their cold chain.”
Following the announcement of a third new depot set to open in the Midlands, Bidfood, one of the UK’s leading foodservice providers, has confirmed Worcester as its location, taking its total number of sites up to 27.
The Worcester depot, which is due to open in 2025, will boast approx 60,000 sq ft and will be the latest addition to Bidfood’s growing infrastructure, adding to the Glasgow and Bedfordshire sites, which both started operating earlier this year.
Located on the Worcester Six Business Park, this latest network development will provide excellent transport links to the Midlands region and serve the communities in which it operates by providing around 200 new jobs to local people.
Mark Wood, Chief Operating Officer at Bidfood said, “Worcester will provide an excellent addition to our network and offer some much needed capacity in and around the Birmingham area.
“The introduction of yet another new depot continues to emphasise the importance that we place on long term investment in our infrastructure. The addition of this new depot will further enhance our ability to provide our customers with service excellence and ultimately place us closer to them.”
This month also marks the official opening of Bidfood’s latest depot in Bedfordshire, becoming one of the company’s largest sites to date at 160,000 sq. ft. and strengthening its service across the South East of England
Further updates will follow.
