GUILD TALK
View from HQ
By John Farrand managing director
THE GUILD HAS recently supported a local (but with national and international reach) festival. We introduced a talk on rural and farming life from the 1940s to the present day and beyond, making the obvious link to food and drink. It was only 12 miles or so from the office but a quick glance at the fuel gauge meant I needed to fill up. As the numbers on the pump sped towards £50 and then £60, and then over £70, I had to release the trigger and the tank was not much over halfway full. In late June the rate of inflation
news from the guild of fine food hit 9.1%, a 40-year high and, as our lead news story explores the costof-living crisis on page 5, it hits our sector as much as any other in food and drink. History and hearsay dictate that the deli and farm shop sector weather a recession reasonably well. The early 1990s and late 2000s were a relative boom time for many, as shoppers traded-up at home rather than eating out to save money. That trend was reflected in lockdowns, although the stayingat-home was enforced for different reasons. Reading comment from retailers, I have some doubts we will relish this inevitable recession with such glee. Our talk at the Chalke Valley History Festival drew parallels between hard times, exploring postwar Britain and how that influenced food and farming dramatically then, and has done until the present-day. 90-year-old Allen Chalk, one of the speakers, had worked on the same farm in the local area since he was 14. He described the scarcity of meat, catching the odd hare and hiding it in his jacket to smuggle home, and how locals grew or foraged (now, of course a food trend) their own, simple, nutritious, and
The Word on Westminster By Edward Woodall ACS
FOLLOWING THE CONFIDENCE vote in the Prime Minister, there is much speculation about the future of Boris Johnson. His victory in the vote is not clear cut, ultimately 148 MPs do not support his leadership – not a great endorsement. Nevertheless, the current Conservative Party rules mean he is safe for 12 months and he doesn’t look likely to throw in the towel. The results of the two by-elections came in as this magazine was going to press and the Conservative Party has lost both seats. No doubt, the Prime Minister’s detractors will use this to
further undermine his leadership. But the real worry should be the impact of this instability on the Government. Can the Prime Minister and the Cabinet focus on policy delivery when they are fighting internally? The proposals to review the use imperial measures on goods suggests they are not focused on policy outputs. Imperial measures have not been on businesses’ radar or the minds of consumers. In fact, it would increase administrative burdens on businesses and confuse consumers. There are other signals too. For example, the publication of the Food White Paper with some high ambitions, including greater
news from the guild of fine food
sustainable food. The discussion moved on with a stat from the Chair, that in the 1950s we spent a third of our income on food shopping, but in 1974 this had gone down to 24%. By 2016, food shopping accounted for
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Should we be looking at how we divvie up our monthly wage? just 10.5% of our income. The trend has continued. And that makes you think. There is certainly a cost-of-living crisis caused by the well-known external factors, but should the nation be looking at how we divvie up our monthly or weekly wage? Food and drink has been too cheap for too long and perhaps our priorities are out of kilter. Nutritious, healthy ingredients wouldn’t feel more expensive right now if households had been spending a third of their income over the last decade. partnership with businesses, but little detail on how to achieve them. With inflation now over 9% and likely to increase further as fuel and food costs rise over the next 12 months, we need focus in Government. This means helping business weather the storm as well as consumers. Retailers we speak to are seeing product, utility and labour costs increasing at such a vast rate they cannot protect their customers from higher prices. What we need is support to invest in energy saving equipment, more flexibility to train staff and a tax and regulatory system that instils confidence to invest. Edward Woodall is government relations director at the ACS edward.woodall@acs.org.uk
Our industry continues to face an incredibly challenging time, that’s why the Guild has continued to send out its support bulletin via email every fortnight. It aims to identify the information and Government support specifically relevant to independent food retailers and the producers who supply them. It also includes practical business advice and ideas from our community on smarter retailing, industry connections, and provides some much-needed “good news” stories. Sign up at: bit.ly/support-bulletin
Great Taste runs the numbers More than 3,500 food & drink producers will be eagerly awaiting their results and feedback from Great Taste 2022 after judging concluded in June. 14,205 products have now been through the Great Taste judging system and over 500 judges have joined the Guild this year, to determine who has won a 1-star, 2-star or 3-star award. Mark your diaries for results day on Monday 1st August to find out who all the winners are. gff.co.uk/greattaste
The Guild of Fine Food represents fine food shops and specialist suppliers. Want to join them? GENERAL ENQUIRIES Guild of Fine Food Guild House, 23b Kingsmead Business Park, Shaftesbury Road, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5FB UK Tel: +44 (0) 1747 825200 Fax: +44 (0) 1747 824065 info@gff.co.uk gff.co.uk
THE GUILD TEAM: Managing director: John Farrand Special projects director: Tortie Farrand Sales director: Sally Coley Operations & marketing director: Christabel Cairns
Sales manager: Ruth Debnam Sales executive: Becky Haskett
Operations coordinators: Chris Farrand Sepi Rowshanaei
Marketing manager: Sophie Brentnall
Data & systems project manager: Lindsay Farrar
Operations managers: Claire Powell Meredith White
gff.co.uk Finance director: Ashley Warden Financial controller: Stephen Guppy Accounts assistant: Julie Coates Chairman: Bob Farrand Director: Linda Farrand
Vol.23 Issue 6 | July 2022
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