Sorsco seminar to help with supply chain resilience

In July, procurement specialists Sorsco will hold their first supply chain and business growth seminar for multi-site operators – to help them not only overcome today’s supply chain challenges, but create future resilience to support growth. At the seminar, operators will find out how to increase footfall, evolve their procurement strategy, and ensure the supply chain is robust as they add new sites and grow their estate. The seminar, on 4 July at the Seven Dials food market, includes a chance to hear the experiences of other operators and chat with market vendors, while enjoying items from their menus.

The event was inspired by the farm-to-fork conference held recently by the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. Over the past 10 years, Sorsco has supported the evolution of inbound supply chains for multi-site operators in the foodservice industry as they grow their businesses.

Nigel Draper, founder of Sorsco, explained: “As businesses grow, operators face the complexities and challenges of managing an increasingly intricate supply chain. It becomes crucial to prioritise quality and innovation, often leading them to source directly from manufacturers or producers to maximise value. However, during the early stages, when founders focus on building their brand equity, pleasing customers and controlling costs, optimising the supply chain can be daunting.”

Help Is At Hand

“With foresight, consideration and understanding, operators can overcome the potential pitfalls in their supply chain as they move from one site to multiple locations,” continued Draper.

At the seminar, Sorsco will guide operators through the four stages of supply chain evolution that multi-site operators are likely to experience as they grow:

1. Embryonic: proving the idea works

Operators often start small, from food halls (like Seven Dials), trucks or single bricks-and-mortar sites. Authenticity and finding suitable suppliers pose challenges, meaning they often resort to cash and carries or personal arrangements.

The secret is to rebalance the equation, selling the opportunity to the right-sized suppliers and organising the supply chain for scalability: “Collaboration can be a gamechanger, aggregating volumes and benefitting from shared resources, ensuring compliance, and freeing up valuable time and resources to focus on brand growth.”

2. Starting to expand

Then, as operators begin to add sites, maintaining quality and controlling growth become paramount. Investing in a CPU can help manufacture products that are difficult to source due to low volume, ensuring consistency across multiple sites. At this stage, brands learn the importance of developing a supply base and aligning pricing periods with menu changes through direct sourcing, unlocking unique opportunities.

3.

Rapid growth... people love it

“In our experience, with expansion and success, operators gain the opportunity to grow, but managing compliance and control becomes increasingly complex,” said Draper.

Leveraging a growing spend and increasing direct sourcing can be beneficial, while navigating the challenges of dealing with larger wholesalers and optimising operational processes.

“Involving procurement professionals at this stage can help manage complex contracts, and carefully steer our procurement strategy.”

4. National success – feeding the nation

As the brand achieves national rollout, managing risk and ensuring viable suppliers become major concerns. Decoupling manufacturing from distribution and handling each part of the supply chain individually with transparency is crucial.

This is Sorsco’s speciality, as Draper points out: “Large national chains come to us to help them address supply chain issues through re-examining contracts, re-tendering supply areas and redesigning distribution solutions, resulting in substantial savings and improved quality.”

The seminar is free for multi-site foodservice operators. To reserve a place, contact Hayley Phillips at hayley.phillips@