The UK’s fourth largest fruit firm has been renamed and pledged to expand its customer base to create future growth potential.
New managing director Fouad Foukra told FPJ that JP Fresh, unveiled this week as the new moniker for the Dartford-based company formerly known as JP Fruit, will actively seek out new routes to market, as it aggressively defends its position in the upper echelons of the UK fruit trade while hunting for new avenues of business.
Foukra has joined JP Fresh from parent company Dole, which took on 100 per cent ownership last October. He expects the UK operation, with a £161 million turnover, to become a model for Dole’s European network of fresh produce distribution companies.
“With 500 employees, we are the biggest company of Dole Europe. JP is already established and a respected company in the UK marketplace, but our challenge is to develop and build on that position.”
He urged Dartford employees at a meeting to unveil the JP Fresh name and logo, to “look forward, not back”, adding: “Even though we are established, we have many challenges ahead. We will challenge [the performance of] every site, every product line and every desk to ensure that we are increasing efficiency at each stage.”
Dole ownership will not change the business overnight, said Foukra, but it does offer significant benefits. “There is no real internal challenge, all we need to make our employees understand is that this is a gift and they need to use it. We have access to a larger range of high-quality product. We want to be able to offer that bigger range to a wider base of UK customers and to increase choice for not only those customers, but also the consumer.
“JP was successful before it was owned 100 per cent by Dole, but now we can reinforce it. Only growth is acceptable to us,” Foukra said.
To achieve that, the aim, said marketing manager Dickon Poole, is to build on a strong existing customer base. The JP Fresh name begins life with a solid supermarket customer profile and an estimated 5.8 per cent share of the UK fresh fruit market, but Poole pointed to opportunities for growth in the wholesale, foodservice, convenience store and processing sectors.
The new name and logo, he said, “gives a simple, effective message that promises the high standards expected from a respected company and gives scope for future development”.
The new logo combines the green and yellow of the former JP Fruit logo with the vibrant Dole red.
“We will also maintain our lovefruit message and continue to support the 5 A DAY and Eat in Colour campaigns,” said Poole.
“There are many opportunities to explore. We have to be proactive and anticipate our UK customer needs, their growth and their strategies. We have the people within JP Fresh to achieve that target,” said Foukra.
“The latest government statistics suggest that there is six per cent growth in the fruit and vegetable market in the UK. I have worked in many countries where growth like that is a dream - what a fantastic chance for all of us.”
