Arena Round Table – December 2024
In partnership with General Mills
2 December 2024
Participants
Ian Whittingham
Business Development Controller - Travel & Leisure, Bidfood
Gavin Squires
Business Development Controller - Education & Healthcare, Bidfood
Luke Consiglio
Founder and CEO, The Pantry
Jeni Edwards
Strategic Projects Director, Restaurant Associates
Robbie Laidlaw
Director, Genuine Dining Company
Mikyle Carrick
Head of Category Development - Food, Foodbuy Group
Frank Coughlan
Executive Head Chef, BaxterStorey – UK & N Europe
Kevin Dunford
Head of Food Purchasing and UK Agriculture, WSH
Rob Owen
Sales Director, General Mills
Jon Pash
Foodservice, Wholesale and Convenience Channel Director, General Mills
Rhian Thomas
Head of Insight (UK) at IGD (Chair)
Event Review
Understanding what makes a good supplier partner starts by understanding the realities different businesses are dealing with before moving onto how best to work for mutual benefit.
The challenges of today
Chair Rhian Thomas kicked off the session asking the room about the biggest challenges facing them and their organisations today. Unsurprisingly one of the first responses was around upcoming additional cost pressures due to the changes in national insurance.
The conversation quickly went into the nuances of the impacts of increasing costs on different sectors. One attendee explained the impact on sectors such as education, with already significant cost pressures, the focus is likely to be on ensuring provisions and how this is likely to have to lead to other compromises whilst still having to hit nutritional needs.
Other attendees shared examples from other parts of the market; in B&I there is an increasing call for story driven communications and products that showcase great quality; clear provenance messaging on meats, seasonal and regularly changing offers, sourcing information and assurances of the ethical nature of supply chains.
Balancing cost and other commitments
ESG commitments were discussed and the reality that many of these do come at a cost. Some attendees shared experiences of where they are working closely with clients and are sharing knowledge and expertise. The challenge on lack of consistency of understanding around what exactly makes a product sustainable means many operators are supporting suppliers on how to make these goals more real and, of course, advising on how to measure these factors.
The need for transparency
The differences between retail and food service brought the need for transparency to life. Starting with the difference in scale between the markets, but the conversation quickly moved onto margins and negotiations. For many of the participants they have no choice but to pass on a price rise to their customers, and often very quickly, which can have negative impacts on relationships when not completely transparent. To counteract this one attendee shares letters from manufacturers detailing price changes to assure that there is rationale for price changes. Also, they shared how they have invested in additional services and offers such as increased trade marketing, insights and data, social media support and so on, all as ways of offering increased value to their customers.
This theme of transparency and trust continued throughout the session. For some this started by creating environments to share more data and insight, particularly around future developments and challenges. This knowledge sharing means that as and when challenges arise, they are less likely to come as a surprise and solutions are easier to arrive at.
Moving away from transactional relationships
The conversation quickly moved from the need transparency to how this helps to underpin strong working relationships. One attendee shared that this often starts with getting the team structures set up correctly. Identifying the right contacts within organisations is vital to ensure that any questions or queries can be dealt with efficiently. Connecting not only with buying teams but also with Chefs, National Account Managers and identifying clear accountabilities was discussed at length, the need for the “go-to” person for each sector really came through.
Success is not achieved once a product or products are listed, as if it dosen’t work it will simply be de-listed in 6-12 months. These cross functional relationships are vital to this ongoing success and need to be nurtured through regular contact.
Understanding chefs and end users
Great relationships and understanding were underpinned by working with and involving chefs. A great starting point is understanding the environment they operate in, simply observing was seen as a valuable learning experience. This type of research will help uncover practical considerations around factors such as pack size and format. This type of understanding was seen as vital when trying to take a product designed for retail into a food service environment.
Branded products can give chefs confidence, as they often know and trust the product already. However, involving them in early-stage conversations is vital. There are opportunities to do that already such as tasting sessions or days and sampling. Enabling chef to chef conversations in the initial stages of working together as well as on an on-going basis will also enable continuous development as well as being able to tackle any potential issues early on.
Being clear on focus area
The foundation for the great relationships that were talked about in the session was a real clarity on the target market, segment and customer. Understanding the role a product will play in the environment it is targeted at, the competitors that already exist, the point of difference it may add, such as a strong provenance story or quality assurance are all key factors. This clarity of focus should also be used to shape the initiatives, or support that is offered as part of the wider relationship.
One piece of advice
The session ended with each participant being asked to share one piece of advice for a supplier seeking to work in food service and there were some clear messages:
1. Identify the relevant focus sectors.
2. Work with chefs and end users to understand their needs.
3. Tell the products stories to help stand out.
4. Build great relationships that are underpinned by trust.
If you’re interested in hosting or participating in a future round table event, please contact Lorraine.
Event Sponsor
As part of one of the world's largest food companies, UK consumers can benefit from our global expertise in developing and delivering great tasting, leading food brands. Our customers can also rely on the stability and resources that go hand in hand with being a multinational company. And we’re still growing!
The power and innovation of General Mills UK is reflected in our iconic brands:
Betty CrockerTM baking mixes have been a consistent favourite with consumers in the UK for more than 50 years.
Green GiantTM sweet corn is the No. 1 canned vegetable brand and has been helping consumers meet their "5 A Day" nutrition goals since the 1960s.
Häagen-DazsTM has set the standard for super premium ice cream.
Nature ValleyTM is already the top crunchy snack bar brand in the UK and Ireland, even though it was only launched in 2006.
Old El PasoTM is the region's leading Mexican food brand. It accounts for more than 50 percent of category sales and has been bringing the fun and flavour of Mexican food to consumers since 1984.
We’re also an award-winning employer with an empowering and collaborative culture and with a commitment to developing each employee's talents and skills for the benefit of the business and the person.