Northern Ireland might be a small market but it is no less dynamic than the UK mainland, as the North Down Group demonstrated by scooping the title of wholesaler of the year in the inaugural Re:fresh Awards last year.
With its forward thinking and progressive attitude, it is easy to see why the company took the award. “I think we won it because we’re a very innovative company,” says Steven Thompson, finance director.
The company has invested significantly in its future, and particularly in IT, says Thompson. “We were probably only the second wholesale company in Northern Ireland to get hand-held computer terminals and use them in the business.”
The company was founded in 1989 and has seen a number of changes since setting out. “One of the initial aims, when North Down was first set up, was to move into the Belfast wholesale market,” says Thompson, and having quickly achieved that, it flourished.
However, as a forward-thinking business, it did not stand still, and the management soon began to recognise the limitation the move had placed on the company.
Thompson says: “The business was doing very well, but the problem was we could see a decline around us. Companies in the market were starting to close and we started to consider whether our future was actually in the market.”
In 1999, North Down made its decision and relocated out of the market to its current premises in Kennedy Way. “We had our administration offices there and the space to develop the business,” says Thompson. As well as the room for expansion, the site also provided excellent transport links.
Since its inception in 1989, the company has grown from virtually nothing to being a £22 million turnover operation, which Thompson says the business has every right to be proud of. “When you consider the company is only around 15 years old, from nothing to £22m has been fantastic.
“You also have to consider that in Northern Ireland, you don’t have a particularly big marketplace. There are only around 1.5m people, and in Belfast alone, only 500,000, so the level of business we’re doing is very significant. We’re certainly the biggest independent wholesaler in Northern Ireland,” he says.
Thompson says another key factor in the company’s success, both in general and the Re:fresh Awards, is the fact it is a young company: “All the directors are aged between 39 and 44 so we’re quite a young-minded business and we’re also very forward-thinking, always looking for opportunities.”
Harvey Crawford, foodservice director, says the fact North Down is still privately owned has also made a difference. “We’re not a plc, we’re still family owned. Because of that we can make decisions fairly quickly, and we believe in the decisions we make. More importantly, so far they’ve all paid off.”
The company has built strong relationships with the market and its customers. Ashley Megarry, wholesale director, says that makes a big difference. “We’re very close to our customers, very few companies in the UK are as close to their customers as we are, but it’s a different culture over here. We’ve built very good relationships over the years and our customers have a great deal of confidence in us. It’s all about service, if you give them what they want, when they want, then they’ll like it.”
Another thing which sets the company apart is its willingness to adapt and learn. It does not sit back and let the market change around it, says Thompson.
“We’ve developed relationships with companies in England to see which way the business is developing over there and see if there’s anything for us to learn. The bottom line is, there always is, we’re not doing anything 100 per cent right, there are always things you can improve on and we’re always keen to see what other companies are doing.”
A perfect example of the company’s ambition to expand and improve its offer was the launch of a new pre-pack company, 5 Pac.
Thompson says the company was launched to cater specifically for the retail sector. “We started the company in 2003 and we see it as a fresh produce solution provider for the retailers.
“We can give them a good range of pre-packed fruit and vegetables, and we’ve created two new brands for that sector.”
The two brands are 100% PureFive, which was launched around a year ago and is exclusive to Spar, and Pick Me, a newer brand, launched six months ago, that is currently in Mace stores, and several others.
“We’re really pushing the fresh produce solution side of the business. It’s about talking to people about what’s on offer and talking to them about presentation.” He says North Down was also looking into creating point of purchase materials.
“We’ve got experience in providing merchandising solutions, so we can help retail outlets with their displays of fresh produce. One company we worked with managed to quadruple its produce sales.”
Crawford says: “5 Pac is a big change for our company and it’s targeted towards the convenience sector, which we think is under utilised.” He says the decision to create 5 Pac gives the overall business greater stability throughout the year.
North Down has also recently taken on new employees to strengthen its operations, says Thompson.
“We’ve employed a couple of new people, one who had a company specialising in local vegetables and another person, who used to work at Fyffes and now manages our 5 Pac business. Both people have considerable experience in the industry and they’ll help expand our business.”
And it doesn’t stop there, the company has provided full training among its staff. “Two of our customer service girls were very keen and wanted to go on a cookery course so they could know more about the products on several levels,” says Thompson.
“So now they know how best to present it and what is the best time of year for each product. It means when they’re on the phone to chefs, they can talk to them at the same level.”
The business is still growing, he says: “We’re always looking at new products and ways in which we can widen our range while at the same time looking for other market places we can sell into.”
He says North Down is not just containing itself within the fresh sector either, and is looking for potential opportunities on the processing side as well, with the intention of providing a one-stop shop for their customers.
Winning the award was a welcome surprise, but it has also laid down a potential gauntlet, says Megarry. “We were very pleased with the award, and it’s a good win for us, but the challenge is to continue to improve, each day we’re starting from scratch again. We now have to live up that award, but its certainly given us a lot of encouragement.
“We’ve come on leaps and bounds since. We’ve become a lot more efficient and we know what we want to achieve and we can get on and do the job.”
BIRTHDAY BOY THANKS TEAMWORK
The secret behind both the company’s and his own success is down to one thing, says Perry Donaldson - teamwork.
The chairman of the North Down Group has been in the industry for forty years, a tenure acknowledged by his receipt of the Florette Lifetime Achievement title at last year’s Re:fresh awards.
“The secret is down to teamwork and it all boils down to people,” says Donaldson. “It used to be about price, but I think with customers today, although price is still a big factor, its now about quality, continuity and liking the people they deal with. You have to be honest and straightforward with your customers.”
Donaldson says although he has been in the business a long time, he knows when to take a step back and let fresh blood take over the reins.
“I’m coming up for my 60th birthday this weekend but I realised a number of years ago that we needed younger people to carry on the business.”
As a result, the North Down Group has a young, strong management team, he says.
“They’re keen, interested and willing to work and I’m willing to let them. That’s been a key factor in our success.”
He says winning the Capespan Wholesaler of the Year award has been a big boost to the company: “It has shown to the staff that we’re not just some small company operating in Northern Ireland, there’s a bigger picture out there and we’re quite an important part of it.”
His own award was something of a surprise as well. “I knew nothing about it. The staff had done it all behind my back, they got everything together, although they got one or two things wrong, mind you.”
He says the awards also raised the profile of the industry over in Northern Ireland. “It made people realise there was quite a bit going on over here. We’re sometimes forgotten about. I’ve had a lot of phone calls and emails since winning, some from people who I didn’t think even knew I existed.”
One of the reasons Donaldson has done so well over the last 40 years has been his ability to think ahead. As a result, his company has stayed one-step ahead on the latest trends.
He says he saw the writing on the wall when it came to the arrival of the big multiples in the Northern Irish market. “I knew they wouldn’t be sourcing from the wholesale markets, as they weren’t doing that over in the rest of the UK.”
As a result, his company broadened its outlook and began supplying the catering sector, which he says is now a booming business.
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