10 minute read
BFFF Business Conference 2020
What do you get when you cross an economist and a journalist with a fighter pilot? The BFFF Business Conference, of course!
The theme of the 2020 conference was: ‘Today and Tomorrow’, which was reflected in the line-up of expert speakers from the worlds of economics, market data, OOH, retail, AI and sustainability, all bookended by an upbeat introduction from chief executive Richard Harrow and a lively inspirational talk from keynote speaker Mandy Hickson.
Presiding over proceedings at the Chesford Grange Hotel in Warwickshire, was former managing editor of The Grocer, Julia Glotz, who led two panel Q&As to explore some of the key issues and talking points of the day.
Members of the audience were able to get more involved than ever before by asking the conference’s expert speakers questions through the interactive app – a new initiative that was very well received and testament to Richard Harrow’s enthusiasm for making the Federation more digitally focused.
Indeed, one of Richard’s key announcements was the introduction of a series of webinars for members covering industry developments, best practice and supply chain, among a growing list of topics.
Richard also launched the Young Leaders’ Forum, which is intended to help educate, shape and support the industry’s next generation as they work their way up through the ranks, by providing networking and mentoring opportunities.
Presentation slides from the day are available to download from the BFFF website www.bfff.co.uk
Roger Martin-Fagg economist
Speaking before the full impact of the coronavirus was felt, the ever-popular Martin observed that although consumer debt has risen everywhere, asset prices have gone-up more, while low interest rates mean debt servicing is manageable for most people. Surprisingly, he noted, inflation is low even though employment is at record levels. Recessions are caused by shocks, he said, but thanks to US fracking an oil shock is less likely. Western banks are as a whole less leveraged and inflation remains subdued.
He concluded that the recent slowdown is a soft landing and the world has avoided an outright recession but thinks growth is likely to remain subdued because of various factors, including rising protectionism. Inevitably he raised concerns about the coronavirus pandemic hitting global supply chains.
Peter Maddox WRAP UK
Peter began by outlining some of the benefits of committing to WRAP's Roadmap to reduce food waste and plastic packaging. These include being able to make the most of the free tools, templates and guidance available, as well as prepare for potential legislation in targeting and reporting on food waste. Public recognition of your commitment to reduce food waste is another gain.
He also touched upon how WRAP provides free, confidential, one-to-one support and advice for large food businesses that commit to the Roadmap before moving on to urge delegates to embrace the spirit of collaboration by coming together to achieve common goals. Brands, retailers, manufacturers, producers, recyclers, governments, NGOs and local authorities can make a real difference if they use their collective talents to drive change.
James Spicer Kantar
James began by saying the frozen sector is in good shape overall, with categories such as vegetarian and pizza/bread performing particularly well, both experiencing growth of more than 5%. Other figures reiterated this point, such as “14% of all meal occasions and 42% of evening meal occasions contain an item of frozen”, which amounts to a staggering 192 million frozen occasions in an average week.
So where can we find growth? Breakfast presents huge opportunity, as does meat-free and plant-based, which he said is more than just a fad. And for NPD, bringing the out-of-home trends through people’s front door was another recommendation. Other tips were to think premium, think health and think occasion rather than product.
Simon Wainwright IGD
Simon’s highly engaging presentation provided plenty of food for thought across a diverse range of topics, even quoting Charles Darwin to highlight the importance of adapting to an ever-changing retail landscape. Opening with a brief look at how technology and disruptive demographic changes (such as the rise of health consciousness and single person households) are driving this evolution, as well as shopper expectation, Simon then went on to explore the role the physical store still has to play.
Physical isn’t dead, but mediocre and complacent retail is. Being RED - Relevant, Efficient, Different – is essential to survival. Showing the audience examples of creative store concepts and formats that had caught his eye, Simon then went on to detail the five mega trends the shopper of the future will be adopting, including being experimental and embracing personalisation.
Christine Tacon Groceries Code Adjudicator
Following a brief history of the GCA and an overview of its role, Christine outlined some of the major issues reported by suppliers in 2019. These included payments for wastage, variation of supply chain procedures without reasonable notice and obligations to contribute to marketing costs. Perhaps unsurprisingly, delays in payment and a lack of compensation for forecasting topped the list of supplier concerns.
Christine noted that incurring significant costs because of inaccurate forecasting by retailers was reported by 33% of frozen food suppliers compared to 24% overall. She also praised the frozen sector for its understanding and compliance with the Code, with 46% of frozen food suppliers trained on the Code (compared to 47% overall) and 80% having a good or fair understanding of it compared to 77% overall.
Fiona Speakman CGA
Fiona offered delegates a unique 360° perspective of the market. There were several interesting takeaways from her presentation. Firstly, that in the competitive Out of Home market, delivering food quality and products that ease the burden for operator staff, while offering consistency and quality, are key.
Secondly, ethical engagement is imperative. She says understanding this and how it effects end users and their interaction with the consumers will help suppliers win in this space. She also highlighted how technology is playing a more prominent role in many aspects of foodservice. She said: “Working with your customers to understand how they will use it to interact with consumers and what support can be given will drive trusted advisor status.”
Finally, she outlined how allergens, dietary requirements and dietary preferences are shaping the ways we consume, concluding: “Being proactive from a new product development perspective and educating customers on your products’ attributes will ensure maximum engagement.”
Andrew Staniland Iceland
The theme of Andrew’s presentation was ‘making frozen the new fresh’. Iceland’s trading director cited retail deflation, quality perception and market saturation as some of the factors affecting the market's ability to grow. But he thinks there is still a lot of untapped potential in frozen and plenty of reasons to be optimistic.
His view is that frozen can grow by ‘stealing’ a share of the larger and ‘more credible’ fresh market, which can be done by educating the consumer, developing new markets and products, addressing freezer capacity issues and lobbying the government and media.
Donna Champion Nottingham Trent University
Donna spoke about some of the applications of distributed ledger technology (blockchains) that are already in existence and suggested where businesses should invest resources to reap benefits.
She explained: “A distributed ledger holds a secure record of transactions for a particular community. The transactions are collected into ‘blocks’ of data to be validated. The data is cryptographically secured to create a ‘tamper-evident’ chain of data: the ledger of transactions.”
Of course, what delegates wanted to know is if it has a business value? Donna said: “If used with smart devices such as geospatial technology, sensors, detectors, smart packaging etc, DLT could support businesses in a number of areas. These include supply chain transparency, demonstration of regulatory compliance, reduction of costs through information exchange and better responses to food recalls.
Christopher Barnatt futurist
In his presentation on the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) cognitive computing in the next 10 years, Christopher Barnatt covered everything from how computing has evolved to robotics. Among his fascinating insights were that while AI and robots are set to automate a wide range of tasks, they are not likely to replace entire jobs. He also predicted that by the late 2020s, many ‘teams’ will include humans, disembodied AIs and smart robots, and that most rule-based, data-intensive, screen-based tasks will be able to be automated before 2030.
He concluded that in the frozen sector, all companies should be building a knowledge of cloud AI services, edge AI and Autonomous Mobile Robots.
Peter Backman foodservice and supply chain expert
Peter's forthright and challenging views are based on data-driven insights. His view is that "if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist".
In his presentation he covered the threat and opportunities around restaurant delivery. A subject which has become even more relevant as many OOH operators have begun offering take-away services in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Hannah Pathak Forum for the Future
Hannah talked to delegates about the responsibility for accelerating a shift towards a sustainable future. She said: “The next decade will be critical as we work to address the global challenges that are converging in a way that is fundamentally re-shaping our political, economic and social landscapes.”
She also said that while this kind of change presents significant risks, there are also clear opportunities for organisations ready to create a positive future, both for themselves and by actively working with others to reshape the systems they rely on.
Hannah concluded by advising businesses to understand their role in the system and do everything they can to leverage assets for systems change, and to move beyond competition to experiment, learn, share, be open and collaborate.
Mandy was the only female pilot on her frontline Tornado Squadron, flying multi-millionpound jets for the Royal Air Force. She spoke to delegates with enthusiasm about leading from the front and the importance of trust. A firm believer that ‘together everyone achieves more’, Mandy’s presentation included tips on how to deliver an effective debrief.
Flavour and innovation on display
The expert talks were broken up by morning and afternoon refreshments, as well as lunch. Between them, they featured a tasty array of sweet and savoury options courtesy of ABP, Whitby Seafoods, Billington Foodservice, Mademoiselle Desserts, Bluebells Artisan, RFC International and Destiny Foods.
As well as ever-popular choices such as meat, seafood and ice cream, the vegan influence was very clear to see, particularly across desserts.
Innovation and street food are still proving popular trends, too, with ABP’s menu including Korean beef-cheek bao buns and Whitby Seafoods treating delegates to popcorn shrimp in taco shells. All great examples of food-to-go, creative NPD and the versatility of frozen produce and product in general.
Pictures from the day
Exhibitors and delegates enjoy the conference breakouts
