Southern Salads, a provider of leafy salads and fresh fruit and vegetables to the foodservice sector, has entered the retail market for the first time, to supply 14 different fresh produce lines to convenience store chain Spar.
The Spar chain has some 2,600 stores across the UK, with an annual turnover of £2.7 billion.
Andrew Boakes, Southern Salads’ operations director, said: “The partnership with Spar will bring us to the forefront of the retail industry, at a time when consumers are appreciating the benefits of healthy eating more than ever. Our range of high-quality salad solutions are as versatile as they are fresh, and to take them to the retailer is an important step for us.”
Kent-based Southern Salads has been supplying fresh produce and ready-made salads to the largest foodservice operators in the UK for 21 years.
The company will supply Spar on a national level, sourcing fresh fruit and vegetables from suppliers in the UK and the world over, including its joint venture plants in Poland and Belgium. Southern Salads has the BRC Global Standard, and all suppliers have either BRC or GlobalGAP accreditation.
The family business plans to more than double turnover by 2010, by expanding its plant in Tonbridge, Kent and increasing its retail presence. Thanks to continued investment, the expansion plans will exceed 100,000sqft to include increased high-risk, packing and dispatch areas, new development kitchens and on-site testing laboratories.
Boakes added: “The growth plans are ambitious, as we expect the business to double its size in manufacturing capacity and turnover from £25 million to £50m by 2010.”
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