Fresh Produce foodservice supplier Fresh Direct UK Ltd has gone truly national with the announcement of a deal completed today with a London firm that gives it a valuable presence in the capital.
The Oxfordshire-based business has acquired all the shares of The Personal Catering Company (PCC), based on New Covent Garden Market. PCC will keep its own name and become part of Fresh Direct Local syndicate.
Fresh Direct chief executive Nigel Harris has been looking for a London partner for four years. He said: “Both businesses are family firms that hold family values - making sure that customer service is number one on the agenda. We have looked at a number of really good businesses, but PCC has the right ethics and size, and belief in local produce that matched with everything we are trying to achieve with our Fresh Direct Local brand.”
The brand already has units in six hubs throughout the UK and the aim is to have a further three in the next year. The roll-out is driven by customer demand and a genuine passion for supporting British growers and Harris believes the Fresh Direct Local brand has a serious place in the fresh produce arena into the future. He said: “The onus of the brand backs regionally operating growers and farmers, providing the end user with home-grown provenance, while allowing them the freedom and flexibility to continue ordering their core, bulk goods from the main depots. It’s all the sexiness of local products, working alongside a national distribution platform.”
PCC’s location at New Covent Garden was also a significant factor in the link-up. Harris said: “For us, Covent Garden is the obvious choice. It allows us to be close to our London customers and gives us the opportunity to work with a huge range of produce and experience.”
Fresh Direct already has a London customer base, which it serves with local produce, but this new deal will provide opportunities for an even more personalised local service and menu extension. Harris said: “Local means two things to us: reducing the miles from the grower to Fresh Direct and having Fresh Direct as close as possible to the customer to service their needs. London is unique - you have to be there to service it properly. We will be able to reduce the number of miles and to improve the overall service to our London accounts. This will be good for PCC, but it will also be good for Covent Garden.”
Fresh Direct md David Burns said: “In a challenging environment like London, PCC has proved itself with fantastic logistics and response times that we are not able to match from elsewhere.”
PCC md John Fowler added: “This is a prudent move for us and one that our whole company wholeheartedly backs. It comes at a time when customers are demanding a quick and local response, but they also want the assurance of being part of a robust team. Our partnership with Fresh Direct will cement this, along with adding opportunities that will arise from both sides. Both companies have a similar outlook and view to customer service, which has been pivotal to our success.”
