Where did you work before coming to S Daniels?
I worked at Albert Fisher, first as commercial director, then as md of its Macfish seafood operations. I went on to become md of the company's seafood division, then group commercial director when the company shifted to a functional structure last year.
What are your interests outside work?
I used to play football, but don't get the chance now. These days I'm more into golf. I also enjoy listening to music, particularly soul and US jazz.
What challenges confronted you on joining the company?
We have found it increasingly difficult to attract labour to our factories, which has highlighted the importance of investing in automation in that area. Another challenge is the split between our retail and foodservice customers. Each has different needs and we must be able to tailor our offer to both groups.
How is business?
Like-for-like sales in the half-year to the end of June are slightly up on the same period last year: £25.8m versus £25.4m. However, pre-tax profit has fallen from £1.02m to £0.47m due to marketing investment and insurance costs. But we're in the process of a huge relaunch this month, involving new products and backed by national media support. The relaunch and rebranding to New Covent Garden Food Company will help us finish the year with higher growth figures, although we've still improved on last year. Our August share position gave us 42% of the chilled soup market by value, with Baxters, our only serious competitor, having a 5% share.
{{JOBS & CAREERS }}
I worked at Albert Fisher, first as commercial director, then as md of its Macfish seafood operations. I went on to become md of the company's seafood division, then group commercial director when the company shifted to a functional structure last year.
What are your interests outside work?
I used to play football, but don't get the chance now. These days I'm more into golf. I also enjoy listening to music, particularly soul and US jazz.
What challenges confronted you on joining the company?
We have found it increasingly difficult to attract labour to our factories, which has highlighted the importance of investing in automation in that area. Another challenge is the split between our retail and foodservice customers. Each has different needs and we must be able to tailor our offer to both groups.
How is business?
Like-for-like sales in the half-year to the end of June are slightly up on the same period last year: £25.8m versus £25.4m. However, pre-tax profit has fallen from £1.02m to £0.47m due to marketing investment and insurance costs. But we're in the process of a huge relaunch this month, involving new products and backed by national media support. The relaunch and rebranding to New Covent Garden Food Company will help us finish the year with higher growth figures, although we've still improved on last year. Our August share position gave us 42% of the chilled soup market by value, with Baxters, our only serious competitor, having a 5% share.
{{JOBS & CAREERS }}
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