Tourism in Wales is getting a boost this summer courtesy of a Welsh wholesaler and a nine-year-old Cardiff schoolboy.
A brand new delivery lorry which will travel the length and breadth of Wales, the Border Counties and the South West of England is now showcasing Wales as the ultimate holiday destination.
Welsh wholesaler Castell Howell Foods has launched the latest addition to its delivery fleet, a 16-tonne truck with a difference.
Following the success of previous school competitions to design the livery for its lorries, Castell Howell decided to work with primary schools within its delivery network once again and invited pupils to get creative.
“We wanted to ask children to draw pictures of what they most like to do during their summer holidays in this beautiful country,” said Martin Jones, transport director. “This could be visiting iconic Welsh destinations including the coast or other urban and rural areas, with the aim that their creations could be used to promote holidays and tourism here in Wales.”
The nominated food supplier of Cardiff city council, Castell Howell has strong ties with local authorities and the schools it supplies week in, week out.
Once the appeal went out, the Castell Howell team was inundated with entries. “We received thousands of incredible creations which left us with the most difficult decision,” admitted Martin.
After careful consideration, the team whittled down the entries to a shortlist of 150, before eventually deciding on their winner – Seth King, aged 9, from Ysgol Y Vern in Cardiff. His eye-catching creation features bridges, trains, cycling, snorkelling, kayaking, a castle and even a giraffe.
The Castell Howell team decided to surprise Seth at school not only to present him with his prize – an iPad – but also a visit from the lorry with its brand new livery.
In addition to Seth’s prize, his school was also presented with £2,500 from Castell Howell to invest in anything they choose that will improve facilities for their pupils.
“This is such a wonderful way to give back to the local community and also to the schools that we are committed to supplying with the best quality produce,” said Matt Lewis, Castell Howell managing director.
“We were blown away by the response to the competition and having carefully picked our winner from the thousands of entries, we’re delighted that Seth’s incredible design is out on the road and will promote Wales as the perfect holiday destination.”
The Design a Lorry competition is just one of Castell Howell’s many initiatives to engage with and support the local community. Previous competitions have resulted in Castell Howell Foods donating more than £10,000 to four local primary schools.
Children at Ashton Primary School in Preston got into the spirit of Halloween with some spooktacular support from SPAR.
Thirty children in Reception class took part in a cookery session to concoct a healthy pumpkin and carrot soup with ingredients supplied by James Hall & Co. Ltd. SPAR recipe cards were also provided to children to take home alongside additional pumpkins, carrots, and onions, enabling them to recreate their bubbling broth together with their parents.
The cookery sessions were set up to promote healthier eating options and came to fruition with support from Preston City Council and the University of Central Lancashire’s Dietetics department. As part of the Halloween event, children in Reception were also joined by pupils from Years 1 and 2 to allow their imaginations to run wild by decorating a pumpkin in a carving competition.
Reception winner was Almirah with her clever upside-down bat design, while Wiktor won the Year 1 competition with his ‘Happy Halloween’ pumpkin.
Ella-Rose was named the winner of Year 2 competition with her larger ghost pumpkin eating a smaller orange pumpkin, with the design also illuminating through the inclusion of tea lights.
Bryony Readey, Reception teacher and Assistant Headteacher at Ashton Primary School, said: “We are so grateful to SPAR for supplying us with ingredients to promote our healthy eating agenda within school and the children had so much fun in the cookery session.
“We know that they also enjoyed some valuable parent and child time in creating their pumpkins for the competition, and we hope they will replicate that with the recipe cards and ingredients they are taking home.”
Aishah Ibrahim, Junior Fresh Trading Manager at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “This has been a fantastic piece of partnership work supporting Ashton Primary School. We were delighted to hear the children loved the cookery sessions and we were very impressed with the creativity that had gone into the pumpkin carving competition.
“It isn’t often in my role we get to support the community like our retail teams at SPAR stores do every day, but this project has enabled that, and we look forward to working with Ashton Primary School on other initiatives this academic year.”
James Hall & Co. Ltd is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.
Kepak Group has announced the acquisition of Summit Foods, a UK-based company specialising in chilled and frozen convenience foods. With annual revenues of £24 million and a team of 200 employees, Summit Foods is an established player in the UK’s convenience food sector. The acquisition, is part of Kepak’s strategic plan to further grow its food business organically and via acquisition.
“We are pleased to welcome Summit Foods to the Kepak Group," said Brian Farrell, CEO of Kepak Foods. "This acquisition aligns with our growth strategy, developing our presence in the UK convenience and out-of-home food channels. Summit's portfolio of fresher for longer sandwiches, chilled and frozen meals & snacks complements our existing micro snacking offerings and allows us to deepen our presence across these markets”.
Summit Foods will continue to operate from its current base in Preston, with no immediate changes to its operations, branding, or customer offerings. The leadership team from Summit will remain in place for a six-month transition period to facilitate a smooth transition.
Kepak plans to leverage its existing distribution network and market expertise to support future growth for Summit Foods. This acquisition strengthens Kepak’s position in the UK’s growing Food To Go and micro-snacking market, valued at £6.8 billion.
Kepak remains focused on delivering business as usual for Summit’s customers and employees, the acquisition provides opportunities for long-term growth. For the immediate future, the two companies will work closely to align operations and explore potential synergies, particularly in the areas of product development and distribution.
Managing Director of Mangrove Global and outspoken industry commentator, Nick Gillett, has provided his reaction to the Labour Government’s Autumn Budget. With doom and gloom forecast by the media well in advance of the Budget’s publication – the new fiscal regime was never expected to be "good for business". That said, there will be many in the hospitality and spirits industries wondering exactly how they’ll manage when the bulk of changes take effect in April next year. Nick says it’s an age-old tale of the government introducing more costs and offering no assistance:
“Prior to the Budget being announced, I said the best we could hope for as an industry was to be left well alone. But sadly, that was a pipe dream.
“And whilst the unprofessional trailing of details hinted it was going to be a lot worse than it was – it’s still nothing to shout about. A vast increase in employment costs, rises to alcohol duty for spirits, and a lessening of the rates relief currently available to the hospitality sector, means that more businesses are bound go under.
“Since Covid and Brexit, many companies have never fully recovered, continuing to operate on the slightest of margins – and these added costs and lessening of support will be the final nail in the coffin for many.”
Since Covid, the Hospitality, Retail, and Leisure sectors have received significant business rates relief to help bolster the struggling sector – in the last few years the relief has remained at 75 per cent. This was hard fought for by industry lobbyists such as UKHospitality, in an attempt to protect businesses and employees alike. In the last Autumn Statement the Conservative Government extended the relief by another year, and still 50 venue closures a month were reported in the first six months of 2024. The latest Budget marks the end of the current relief, with a reduction to 40 per cent confirmed for April 2025.
He added: “To fully understand how damaging this is for hospitality, you need to go way back. The sector was first struck by Covid and the lockdowns. It was hit by increasing costs in alcohol, thanks to increased duty and bureaucracy. Cost of living continues to reduce disposable income and custom. And Brexit has forced out swathes of the workforce that was the lifeblood of the industry.
“Now, the Government continues to pile on costs – and we’ll need to wait and see if any of this actually increases the public’s spending power by putting more money in their pockets. One thing that is for sure – the only way businesses will survive is by increasing prices. And that will have an added effect on inflation.”
The Autumn Budget also detailed a mixed bag of changes that will affect spirits producers - including alcohol duty. Whilst duty on alcoholic drinks served on "draught" will reduce by 1.7 per cent, wine, spirits, bottled beers, and cider will see duty rise by retail price inflation. Both the lower and higher rates of the soft drink levy will also increase to £1.94 and £2.59 per ten litres respectively. Not only will this push up the price of tipple for great British drinkers, but it will also stifle growth.
“Previous, recent rises in alcohol duty have shown that the rise is passed onto consumers, leading to fewer sales, and less money raised for the treasury. So, to confirm another rise seems illogical," Nick continued.
“But let’s get this straight. The hospitality and spirits industries are bursting with talented, creative, and entrepreneurial people. Where these businesses thrive, local economies succeed.
“As much as the Government’s Budget hasn’t gifted us any giveaways, I have no doubt the industry will pull together, weather the storm, and come out the other side. All off the back of the exceptional people behind it.
“And when that happens – the UK economy will once again reap the benefits our success, as it always does.”
The retail technology company Jisp is set to launch its “Jispmas” seasonal campaign to drive additional sales for its brand and retailer partners, and special savings on a range of products for its shoppers.
Jisp introduced its Jispmas campaign two years ago and it proved a huge success for retailers, creating added opportunities for engagement and incremental sales. The campaign has grown in success each year since launch.
Redemptions of the Jispmas promotions through the Scan & Save app jumped by 877 per cent in 2023 versus its inaugural year (2022), with retail sales for the campaign also jumping a massive 807 per cent year-on-year.
The Jispmas campaign in 2023 performed 95 per cent better than a standard promotional period* in terms of retail sales value, demonstrating the impact the campaign has in driving sales for brands and retailers.
The Jispmas campaign provides two opportunities to promote a different special deal daily for a period of 12 days in both November and December** and this year features brands such as Brewdog, Asahi, KP Snacks, Pladis and Hovis.
KP Snacks, Asahi and Hovis all ranked in the top five most popular brand deals in 2023’s promotion, and their return in 2024 is further recognition of the power of Jispmas as a sales driver.
Alex Rimmer
“Jispmas has performed extremely well for us over the last two years providing added theatre and increasing the opportunities for brands to get their products in front of customers with a tantalising discount to aid purchase,” said Jisp’s marketing and communications director, Alex Rimmer.
“The campaign has delivered improved results each year and has been proven to secure an uplift in sales across the promoted products for both brands and retailers, with retailers enjoying the added benefit of increased incremental sales in store.”
The deals are communicated through Jisp’s omni-channel retail media platform, comprising targeted emails, push notifications, in-app pushes, digital advertising, social media and more.
Jisp’s Scan & Save still runs promotions through the entirety of these three-week promotional periods (20/11/24 - 10/12/24 & 11/12/24 - 31/12/24), ensuring no one misses out, but the special Jispmas deals receive additional daily promotion providing added value for brands.
*Comparison is between the two three-week promotional periods prior to the two three-week promotional periods of Jispmas.
**Jispmas campaign runs from 20/11/24 to 01/12/24 and then from 11/12/24 to 22/12/24
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Volumatic employees ‘Wear It Pink’ to support Breast Cancer Now, with Mandy House positioned second from right
Employees from cash handling experts Volumatic have taken part in a special "Wear It Pink" day to raise money for cancer charity, Breast Cancer Now.
Around 40 staff members based at Volumatic’s Head Office in Coventry donned something pink – from socks, scarves and wigs to full head-to-toe outfits in pink, to raise funds for a charity very close to their hearts.
Having been affected by breast cancer both within her own family and team at work, Volumatic Customer Service Representative Mandy House organised the charity day, which took place on 18 October to help raise money for the 600,000 people currently living with breast cancer in the UK.
Not only did Mandy encourage her colleagues to wear something pink for the day and decorate the staff canteen in pink, but she also arranged a pink bake sale, held games and sweepstakes for everyone to take part in throughout the day, all themed around the charity.
Mandy also made an impassioned speech at the start of the day, encouraging everyone to check themselves regularly for signs of cancer and to seek medical help for even the slightest concern – highlighting that prompt action really can make a difference and save lives.
Thanks to the generosity of everyone throughout the day, the Volumatic team raised £656, a sum that was then doubled by the Volumatic Board, to make a fantastic final total of £1,312.
Breast Cancer Now is the UK’s largest breast cancer charity with the aim of changing the lives of anyone affected by breast cancer with both research and support. As well as funding world-class researchers to develop better treatments, preventable measures and earlier diagnoses, they also provide a helpline, health information and support services for those affected and their loved ones.
Mandy, who has worked for Volumatic for over 25 years, was thrilled with the amount of money raised and praised her colleagues for their fundraising efforts. “A huge thanks to everyone at Volumatic for taking part in ‘Wear It Pink’ day. It was so amazing to see so many in pink – especially our Sales Manager Tom, who wore pink shorts for the day! I personally laughed a lot on Friday and the spirit of Volumatic and the coming together was fantastic!”
James Harris, Managing Director at Volumatic, said: “We always choose a different charity to support every year, and when Mandy suggested raising money for Breast Cancer Now, we all wanted to get behind the ‘Wear It Pink’ day for this extremely worthy cause.
“Cancer is a terrible disease in all its forms and several members of the Volumatic team are dealing with it right now, either personally or through their immediate family. I would like to thank Mandy for leading this fundraiser to help treatment continue to get better for all concerned,” he added.