Tableware and catering equipment supplier Goodfellows is expanding its business by taking some of the commercial products it sells into the high-end domestic market.
The company has launched a website and ecommerce platform that is designed to meet demand from serious home cooks for range of exclusive tableware and kitchen equipment that have previously been trade-only.
Goodfellows, which is based in the North East but operates a showroom in central London, is rolling out the new website as it prepares to celebrate its second year in business.
The new ‘For Cooks’ website at www.forcooks.co.uk aims to bridge the gap between professionals and amateurs, offering consumers high status brands and professional-level equipment from around the world.
A panel of top chefs, including James Close, Aiden Byrne, Kenny Atkinson and Nigel Haworth are spearheading the online community by providing exclusive content, tips and tutorials, plus links to products designed specifically for them.
Managing director, Valda Goodfellow, commented: “When we launched Goodfellows two years ago it was to give five-star hotels and restaurants plus great independent operators access to the best brands in kitchenware that they could not buy from anyone else, and customer demand has seen that grow to a point where we are now almost a £3m business.
“Taking our products out to consumers via an online community seemed the next logical step. Market testing plus the number of well respected names in the industry who were keen to be involved has reinforced our instinct that the demand is there.”
Goodfellow added that TV cookery shows and a general interest in food and its provenance have sparked an explosive growth in the number of people taking a serious interest in cooking.
This, she says, has led to an increase in the number of people interested in sourcing professional-level gadgets and equipment that are used by the top chefs.
“There is nothing like this out there for them, and we have unashamedly designed the For Cooks community as the ultimate resource for that audience,” she said.
Thetford-based Precision Refrigeration, which manufactures commercial refrigeration, is expanding its manufacturing plant with the acquisition of an adjoining building.
The move will ultimately add 14,000 square feet of production and warehouse space. The new building, combined with investment in new machinery and an extensive reorganisation of the factory, will eventually allow Precision to grow production to three times its current level.
As part of the £500,000 investment, the company is also installing an additional Salvagnini S4 punching machine and a P4 automatic bending machine.
“Our sales, both in the UK and overseas, have rocketed over the last 12 months,” says managing director Nick Williams.
“We’ve been growing at around 40% year on year and have been running extra shifts to keep up with demand. It’s a great position to be in but, of course, it brings its own problems. The new building gives us the capacity to meet rising demand and the potential to increase production substantially.”
Currently Precision is in the midst of the reorganisation that will maximise manufacturing capacity.
This should be completed by the end of January 2015 and will lead to 20 new jobs over the next few months. In the meantime, current levels of production are being maintained to ensure orders and deadlines are met.
Privately-owned French restaurant group Bistrot Pierre is to continue its expansion plans in 2015.
Three new openings have been announced for 2015 – in Bath, Birmingham and Newport – enabling the group to capitalise on its strong brand recognition and steady growth within the premium casual dining sector.
“2014 has been a great year for us,” says Robert Beacham, co-founder of Bistrot Pierre.
“With our Cardiff bistrot opened we focused our attention on the Abbey Sands development in Torquay and opened there in September. To now be able to announce three new openings for next year is a great culmination to 2014.”
The first of the openings will be in Bath, where the group plan to open in March on George Street in the site of the old Jika Jika coffee house and canteen.
The fit out is expected to cost around £700K and will be designed by Devon based architects Gillespie Yunnie, who have been instrumental in Bistrot Pierre’s openings in Plymouth, Cardiff and Torquay.
The new site in Bath is typical of the town with its classic Georgian terraces and striking buildings, while the Birmingham bistrot will be located on Gas Street within a historic toll-house backing onto the Birmingham canal.
Newport is the group’s first site within a shopping centre (the new Friars Walk development).
“Each of our bistrots is styled to complement the building it is in and while our look changes between them, customers can expect the same attentive service and high quality French cookery every day.
“We’ve spent years creating a restaurant brand that is firmly focused on great value French dining and good food and are proud that this combination has proved to be the right mix and that it has enabled us to get where we are today.”
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A leading supplier of catering parts is warning other companies in the sector to remain vigilant after losing £7,000 to a credit card scam.
Oxford Hardware, which provides commercial plumbing and electrical supplies to fabricators, was targeted by a fraudster who posed as a kitchen installer to purchase products on a credit card that turned out to be cloned.
The stock was purchased by a ‘Michael Perman’ in a series of transactions and delivered to premises in Sydenham, South East London.
Oxford Hardware’s managing director, David Cleave, said that initially there was no reason to think the order was not genuine.
“The scammer had a reasonably convincing story about fitting out a chain of family-owned restaurants,” he explained. “We had a telephone number and email address. Some of the goods were delivered to a business address and others to a residential address.”
However, the company began to grow suspicious as the size of the orders increased and duly contacted the card authority. They were unaware that the card had been cloned and that the name given to Oxford Hardware did not match the name of their card holder.
Cleave said there was a “possibility” that its losses might be covered by the card company but it was too early to tell. In the meantime, he urged other catering equipment companies to be on their guard against such scams.
The items purchased on the cloned credit card included:
100GRBEX & 100GRUBEX 100mm grey rubber castors with a 30mm expander
41 730 5920 Magnetic catch with 20lb pull
41 763 1012 SS Flush pull – full grip
43 764 1449 8ft divider bar
45 775 1002 Small SS flag hinges
V765138 Descaled potwash bowls 760X510X380H
Cleave added: “We have contacted all the customers on our database listing the items and advised them not to buy any discounted stock. They have also been requested to report to us any approaches made to them by the scammers. If anybody has been offered cheap stock of any of the items, we would be very grateful if they can let us know.”
He added that the company was currently trying to piece together as many facts about the scam as possible before notifying the police.
Anybody with information can contact the company on 01295 680068.
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