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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS The business NEWSpaper for Kirklees
Christmas rush for busy pie company A PIEMAKER in Huddersfield is working almost around the clock to meet demand for pies, pasties and sausage rolls this Christmas. Andrew Jones (Pies) Ltd is working flat out to keep the shelves stocked in more than 70 supermarkets across Yorkshire and scores of high street butcher’s shops. Founder Andrew Jones said: “This is our busiest time. During the last week in December, we can do the equivalent of four weeks’ turnover. We will use eight tons of pork this week when normally the average would be one ton. “We have stepped up production and we will work longer hours – we are almost at 24-hour production. We cannot work too far in advance because our reputation is for freshness.” The company is able to meet demand thanks to its £200,000 investment in a new factory – but it is a success story tinged with sadness. On Good Friday last year, the company was rocked to the core by an explosion at its premises in Old Leeds Road, in which employee David Cole was killed. Through the traumatic times that followed, customers stayed loyal to the family-run firm as it gradually sought to rebuild the business and find ways to continue manufacturing. The company and its 30-strong staff moved into a 6,500sq ft unit at Queen’s Mill Road and began manufacturing at the site in May. “It was a former cheese factory which had been mothballed,” said Mr
■ THE PIES HAVE ARRIVED: Pie maker Andrew Jones in his new premises at Queen's Mill Road, Huddersfield
Jones. “It had been empty for 12 months. “We had been making pies at our old premises in Brighouse to look after some of our loyal customers. We were just making pork pies. “Once we got these premises, we hauled in a lot of equipment from Old Leeds Road, but there was no gas on site and not enough power. We brought in a huge generator to run a lot of the machinery and a couple of freezers.” The company engaged a specialist food factory design consultancy to
advise on a new layout for the site. “Things did not happen as quickly as we wanted because the biggest problem was getting power,” said Mr Jones. “We could not do a lot of work until after Christmas.” While settling into the premises, the company also looked at re-branding and packaging for its products supplied to the Yorkshire supermarkets of Asda, Tesco and Morrisons. Andrew Jones worked with Business Link on a design-and-demand project which led to the firm calling in The Individual Agency, based at Her-
itage Exchange, Lindley, to devise a brand image for its packaging and website. The company now supplies 11 product lines to Asda alone – ranging from its traditional pork pies and Cornish pasties to steak pies, meat and potato pies, steak and ale pies and individual pie ‘n’ peas. Following the re-branding, sales to Asda’s 23 Yorkshire stores rose by 30%. “Our sales in Asda are double what they were a year ago,” said Mr Jones. “We started supplying Tesco at the beginning of October and sales there are increasingly every week. We now supply 25 Tesco stores as well as about 20 Morrisons stores.” Mr Jones believes the onset of a new age of austerity is feeding a demand for “comfort food” such as pies and pasties. He also believes the firm can grow from its Yorkshire heartland to other UK regions. “We aspire to going further afield,” he said. “We have set up the factory to that end. We can show potential customers a proven sales record and we have achieved accreditation with organisations such as the British Retail Consortium.” While pursuing national sales, Andrew Jones is strengthening local links. The firm has worked with Ossett Brewery to produce a steak and ale pie using the brewery’s Treacle Stout for sale at The Hop, a real ale pub under The Arches in Leeds. It is now talking to other breweries about similar opportunities.
Retailers benefit from multi-channel shopping YORKSHIRE retailers who trade online are reaping the rewards, according to a new report. Business advisory firm Deloitte said average transactions were more than 80% higher where so-called “multi-channel consumers” researched products online, used catalogues or contacted call centres before
buying – rather than just shopping in stores. Almost a quarter of Yorkshire consumers are also shown to be influenced in their spending by retailers’ websites, proving the power of the internet for retailers – whether or not the transaction is completed online. The report found that multi-channel
consumers spend 82% more per transaction than a customer who only shops in store. The average expenditure for multi-channel customers on clothing, home and electrical categories is £116 per transaction against £64 for store-only customers. Dan Butters, retail specialist at Deloitte in West Yorkshire, said: “The
commercial imperative for retailers to tackle multi-channel and the incentive for getting it right is clear. “The multi-channel consumer is particularly well- informed about the products they buy and this greater confidence is resulting in a higher value and a higher volume of purchases”.
INSIDE Road to success A MAJOR supplier to the car industry has chosen a Mirfield marketing agency to support the UK launch of a new range of products. Vehicle electricals specialist Hella selected Purebrand to help introduce its new diagnostics technology for cars and motorbikes to potential customers among distributors, garages and workshops. Purebrand’s campaign included tailored product brochures and a seven-month trade advertising campaign.
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Power source CONCRETE supplier Readymix Huddersfield has achieved solid success. The company has become the first independent ready-mixed concrete producer in the country to gain BRE BES 6001 Responsible Sourcing Certification – covering it sites at Huddersfield, Brighouse, Skipton and Sheffield.
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