Weekly news summary 25th March 2015

HEADLINES THIS WEEK:

– PARFETTS APPOINTS SUSZCZENIA AS JOINT MANAGING DIRECTOR
– BUTCHERY NOW OFFERED BY BIRCHALL FOODSERVICE
– NEW CONTEMPORARY FOOD & DRINK SUPPLIER FOR INDEPENDENTS

SUSZCZENIA BECOMES JOINT MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PARFETTS

David Grimes, who has been managing director of Parfetts Cash & Carry since 2011, has been joined in this role as joint md by former trading director Greg Suszczenia.

Suszczenia (left) began with the Stockport-based operator as a buyer, before managing the Halifax branch. He rejoined the head office trading team in 2008, becoming trading director five years ago.

Grimes was the company’s financial accountant prior to being appointed deputy general manager of the Sheffield C&C. Before being named as managing director, he was Parfetts’ finance director for five years.

Commenting on the appointment of Suszczenia as joint md, Grimes said: “We have worked very closely together over the past four years, engineering the business transition from family-owned to employee ownership, as well as coping with all the usual business challenges.

“We have ambitious and exciting development plans for 2015. Greg’s wealth of knowledge and experience will help us to achieve our long-term objectives and maintain our excellent pattern of growth over the next few years.”

Suszczenia added: “I am grateful to David for sharing the role of md as it will help those who aren’t quite close enough to our business to understand it.”

Parfetts, founded in 1980, operates from six sites. Although turnover last year rose by over 3% to £308.8 million, pre-tax profit dipped by £100,000 after a £900,000 fall in the previous 12 months.

Tel: Parfetts C&C 0161-429 0429

BIRCHALL FOODSERVICE DIVERSIFIES INTO MEAT

Birchall Foodservice is now offering customers fresh meat cut and packed to order.

Early this year, the Burnley-based family-run wholesaler moved to a new purpose-built distribution centre, more than doubling capacity to 64,000 sq ft.

Under the Birchall Fresh logo, the butchery development is the culmination of an exclusive partnership with local and certified UK meat suppliers, who use traditional farming methods and enable full traceability from farm to fork.

New managing director Justin Birchall (pictured) said: “Our dedicated team of butchers are catering for the individual requirements and specifications of customers to the strictest production and distribution standards, providing a competitively priced, quality product.”

All orders are delivered within 24 hours, along with frozen, chilled and grocery products, on the company’s fleet of multi-temp vehicles.

In addition to Burnley, the company has depots in Wrexham, Durham, Sheffield and Stafford.

Tel: Birchall Foodservice (01282) 429446 

NEW CONTEMPORARY FOOD & DRINK SUPPLIER FOR INDEPENDENTS

Barking-based catering wholesaler Gandhi Oriental Foods has launched World of Zing, a business that supplies a range of contemporary food & drink – including hard-to-find ingredients – to the independent retail trade.

The selection of products, which includes herbs, spices, cooking sauces, soft drinks and beverages, is being distributed throughout London and the south-east by a fleet of 15 vehicles.

The business is headed by third-generation family member Pritesh Mody.

Tel: World of Zing 020-7987 888