We were delighted to welcome our key suppliers last week to our annual Supplier Conference where team members and industry experts shared trends and growth opportunities under the theme 'Future Foodservice.'
A huge thank you to Patrick Mitchell Fox, Senior Analyst at IGD who chaired the day and shared exclusive insights into the UK wholesale sector.
Sezer Ozkul, Chief Product Officer (pictured below) revealed the growth opportunities available for suppliers with JJ’s fast-growing buy-to-order Advance Order platform and its direct-to-consumer Home Essentials range.
Speaking on the day, Sezer said: "Since last year, Advance Order has expanded from being available in one branch to ten, helping to increase product range by more than 1500 lines at each site and increasing basket spend by 60% demonstrating it's success.”
Home Essentials to hit 1000
Meanwhile, the JJ Home range was also developed in response to low consumer confidence.
“We have now increased the range from 450 to over 700 premium quality products aimed at offering home customers restaurant quality at affordable prices,” said Sezer. We aim to increase the range to more than 1000 in 2024 and increase our home customers by 50%,” he added.
Progressing the Planet Plan
Chief Operating Officer, Kaan Hendekli revealed that JJ Foodservice has made significant investments in sustainability, including switching 110 warehouse vehicles from gas to electric, installing solar panels in all branches, and investing in CO2 refrigeration.
"As a national company, we prioritise operating sustainably and making a positive impact on the environment. Our efforts to reduce carbon emissions have not only advanced our Planet Plan but also allowed us to lower our costs.
"By doing this, we can continue to offer our customers a wide range of high-quality products at an affordable price,” he said.
Kaan revealed that JJ’s new Wimbledon branch will use CO2 gas for cold storage refrigeration instead of traditional R404A gas, which is reported to have a global warming impact of 3992 compared with 1 for CO2. Read more here.
Eating Out Market to hit £96.3bn in 2023
Other key speakers included Jill Livesey, Managing Director of Lumina Intelligence reported that the UK Eating Out Marketing will reach £96.3bn this year up 5.8% on the previous year and the highest figures since 2019 – great news for hospitality.
Meanwhile, Sam Martin, Co-Founder and CEO of Peckwater Brands, addressed the changing landscape of the UK's virtual kitchen market and expectations for the global virtual kitchens to reach £1 trillion according to Euromonitor.
Future Fish and Chips
Other highlights included Kaylee Herbert (pictured below), director of Harlees Fish and Chips, who shared an exclusive look at their new state-of-the-art site in Andover which is helping to increase basket spend with the use of quick and easy digital ordering Kiosks.
AI for Good Expert Panel
Meanwhile, Mushtaque Ahmed, Managing Director of JJ Foodservice hosted an 'AI for Good' session (pictured above) with Paul Cowley and Scott Curtiss of Relex, along with JJ's Chief Tech Officer, Michael Dudley, and Omar El-Haj, JJ's Head of Marketing.
Keynote speaker of the day was the impressive Simon Stenning, Strategic Advisor & Futurist, Founder of Future Foodservice who revealed what hospitality may look like in 2030.
Afternoon workshops gave attendees the opportunity to enhance their foodie skills with interactive workshops hosted by pizza, olive oil, and coffee consultants.
Thank you once again to all our sponsors (listed below), speakers and attendees for an excellent day – see you next time.
Kindly sponsored by
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