Issue 172 - November 2017

We look at the Co-op's expanding food to go range; chat with EAT's new Chief Eecutive Andrew Walker and catch up with the BSA's latest Brexit update.

WH Smith is to expand its en-route food-to-go offer at stations and airports as its traditional markets suffer from tough conditions. Its travel business revenue and profi ts have now overtaken High Street business for the fi rst time.
Birmingham-based sandwich maker Authentic Bite Ltd has again been hauled up in County Court after using bread baskets belonging to Bakers Basco to transport its sandwiches without permission … despite making a formal promise before a judge not to do it again.
There’s been substantial growth at Street Eats since the recent management buyout and there’s plenty more in the pipeline, with several prestigious contracts in travel and contract catering reverting
back to the Chester site for manufacture, totalling around £8m increase in turnover. Meanwhile, there’s an innovative new menu. Mark Arnold, Head of Innovation, explains.

The Co-op has made remarkable progress with its food to go offer in recent years, but as Mark Pettigrew, Director of Format, Range, Space and Merchandising, explained at the recent IGD Food To Go Conference, there’s still room for improvement. Its transformation programme now aims to establish an emotional bond with customers and introduce a previously lacking element of theatre and cohesion. Partnerships are also on the way
EAT’s new Chief Executive Andrew Walker is focused on getting core London stores to operate at a higher level and growing the business slowly with partnerships, rather than chasing rapid expansion. He told a lunch! show audience that while the company had lost its way in some respects, it now had the capability to be “fantastic”
Greggs margins have ‘gone south’ this year because we are not passing it all on the consumer, said CEO Roger Whiteside, in a recent candid presentation at the lunch! show. Simon Ambrose reports

Brexit is only one of a number of signifi cant issues facing the sandwich and food to go industry, and there are other pitfalls but also major opportunities ahead. British Sandwich Association Director Jim Winship spelt out the details at a lunch! show presentation