The Grocery Trader - Exclusive Interviews
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Nampak Cartons - Peter Richardson & Tom Reid - February 2008
2008 is set to be a big year for Nampak Cartons, which is going all out to develop its packaging business, supplying retailers in particular with packaging for chilled and frozen food, and the ever increasing food to go sector. Nampak Cartons is part of Nampak Europe, which has extensive interests in the European paper and plastics packaging industries, and is one of the leading and most technologically advanced packaging manufacturers, trusted to supply packaging to well-known brands... Read Interview
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Whitworths - Will Carter - January 2008
When leading venture capitalists European Capital bought Whitworths in October 2006, they were keen to give this long established and much loved British food business an injection of 21st century consumer marketing and category management to drive it forward into a new era of success. Hence Whitworths' new owners brought in ex-UB (McVitie's & KP snacks) marketing expert Will Carter as Chief Executive. The Grocery Trader went to Wellingborough to meet him... Read Interview
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PD Ports - Graham Wall - December 2007
With top retailer ASDA Wal*Mart already operating the innovative Portcentric concept at Teesport in North East England, the port operator PD Ports is actively delivering the solution to a major problem facing the UK retail industry, namely over congestion in our Southern ports and on our road network. At its Teesport-based import centre, ASDA Wal*Mart de-stuffs containers of imported goods and holds stock inside their Distribution Centre located within Teesport's boundaries. This saves the retailer from having to... Read Interview
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Lactalis McLelland - Martin Rickenback - November 2007
Lactalis UK & Ireland operation with its portfolio of continental cheeses and the former A.McLelland & Son Ltd business with its popular cheddar brands, led by Seriously. Famous for its President, Societe, Seriously, Galbani and Galloway cheese and butter brands, the company is passionate about maintaining the traditions and heritage of cheese making. Sales and marketing for Lactalis McLelland's Continental range are... Read Interview
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Tryton Foods - John Hendy - November 2007
As reported on the front page of our October issue, Tryton Foods has re-launched its famous Aunt Bessie's brand, with the aim of taking a significant share of the frozen food market and becoming an even brighter beacon for the category. Celebrated for its innovative and popular Yorkshire puddings, the Aunt Bessie's brand is showing annual growth of 20% compared to the total frozen food market's near-static 1.1%. Aunt Bessie's is also brand leader in Traditional Hot.... Read Interview
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Project First Engineering Ltd - Mark Stratford - November 2007
Few people would dream of leaving a successful engineering career with Tesco and going into business for themselves. But Project First's founder Mark Stratford did exactly that six years ago and he now owns a multi-million pound company, with a client base including his former employers. Mark, former head of Tesco's engineering department, set up Project First Engineering Ltd, the independent refrigeration... Read Interview
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Rustlers - Peter Fazal and John Armstrong - August 2007
If you've been following recent developments in the convenience food market, you can't fail to have noticed the remarkable success of the Rustlers range of chilled, microwaveable hot snacks. These ultra-accessible products are proving extremely popular with people on the move, and young male consumers and their mums in particular, with their distinctive proposition 'O-tasty in 70 seconds,' highly geared to today's need for convenience. Launched in 2001, the Rustlers brand is worth £90m at RSP and growing 23%... Read Interview
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Jenks - Ambrose McGinn - July 2007
Jenks is the UK's leading sales channel and brokerage company, with over 40 years' trading experience. Jenks provides across the board sales channel expertise for major brands and works on behalf of consumer goods companies to improve their product availability and sales within the UK grocery, pharmacy and convenience trade channels. In the last few weeks Jenks has launched a major initiative to expand its UK operations over the next five years by increasing the use of outsourced sales and... Read Interview
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PD Ports - Graham Wall - July 2007
As UK markets become increasingly dependent on imports - in retailing, wholesaling and manufacturing - the business case is totally compelling for establishing Combined Import Processing and Distribution centres (CIPDC's) close to the port of entry. Adding to the pressure, there are currently no firm plans to significantly upgrade the infrastructure in the South. On top of this the constantly growing strain on Southern ports... Read Interview
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ACM Waste Management PLC - Barry Bolton - June 2007
ACM Waste Management PLC offers UK industry, including manufacturers and retailers, a full selection of bespoke waste management and recycling packages. Formed in 1996, ACM has seen significant growth in demand for its one-stop shop of waste facilities management solutions, including provision of compactors and balers and collection and recycling services. ACM acquired Advanced Compaction Machines Ltd in 2001, enabling it to focus on promoting its all-inclusive waste... Read Interview
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Pierhead Purchasing Ltd - Michael Cook - June 2007
Specialist beer importers Pierhead Purchasing have become known in the trade as "The Imported Beer People." With an impressive portfolio, listing well over 80 beers from all over the world, Pierhead is a leading supplier of highly distinctive, brewed-at-source beers. With trends towards matching beer and food continuing, consumers are learning to experiment with beers that complement certain flavours, and Pierhead is able to offer beers to accompany cuisine from the world over... Read Interview
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Alara Wholefoods Ltd - Alex Smith - March 2007
Alara, the UK's largest manufacturer of organic muesli, was founded by Alex Smith in 1975, with £2 he found in the street in Camden, London. Alara now manufactures 60% of all gluten-free and 100% of FairTrade muesli sold in the UK, and the Soil Association has licensed the company's organic production since 1988. As the business grows, Alex Smith and his wife Katrina remain committed to running an ethical business with... Read Interview
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Mr Crumb - Jason Coyle - March 2007
Founded in 1996, chilled speciality food manufacturer Mr Crumb is famous in its native Ireland for its award-winning products, socially responsible business practices and its 'cheeky' attitude. It's a blend that makes the company stand out and saw Mr Crumb recognised in 2005 as Ireland's Best Business by the country's Small Firms Association and voted one to watch by no less an expert on entrepreneurship than Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary. Having secured Irish listings in Tesco, Dunnes Stores... Read Interview
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TAG Company (UK) Limited - Phil Doyle - February 2007
TAG Company Ltd is the UK's leading independent provider of Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) solutions for retail. Based in Harmondsworth, West London, TAG is a privately owned designer, manufacturer and integrator of anti-shoplifting solutions, ranging from tiny Radio Frequency (RF) paper labels and Acoustic-Magnetic (AM) tags to alarm systems with a full suite of integrated Management Information tools to monitor... Read Interview
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Xface - Alagarsamy Rajamannar - November 2006
Small to medium size grocery retailers have an enormous dependency on IT these days, and many face increasing problems finding the right level of support to keep their systems up and running. Now help is at hand, thanks to retail IT specialist Xface, which has recently introduced a Managed Network Service, remotely monitoring every single PC and server within the customer's business and providing retailers with cost effective... Read Interview