UK pie maker Pieminister has told just-food that the company is looking to the export market to grow overseas.
Speaking to just-food at the Food & Drink Expo in Birmingham, UK, yesterday (26 March), Pieminister sales manager Emma Thorn said the company is launching a franchise in Amsterdam this month and will use this as a test market for exporting its products into Europe.
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“Our sales director is looking, over the next 12 months, at our export strategy,” Thorn said. “We are not there yet but it is something that is on our five-year strategy.”
The company, which currently only trades in the UK, said it will stay within the European market initially.
On Pieminister’s growth strategy, Thorn said the company is targeting 30% growth over the next five years, from the 11% it achieved in the last 12 months.
“We are very keen to get our strengths going in each area,” she told just-food. “They all compliment eachother, adding value to each side.”
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By GlobalDataThorn said the company is also looking to secure further listings in the UK. The firm currently has listings with Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, and Ocado, but is now looking beyond that.
“We have launched into the Co-operative today, which is a new listing for us.” She said the company is now looking at expanding on its current “promotional-basis” relationship with Tesco, and is in talks to secure a listing with Asda.
Separately, Thorn said the company had experienced a “huge squeeze” on commodity prices this year, with four increase in the last 12 months in beef. However, she said the firm has been looking at ways to “achieve a balance”.
“It is difficult for us because we can’t compromise on our ingredients as a premium producer. We have done what we can not to pass the prices on to our customers and have absorbed most of that in efficiencies. We have been looking at the products and how we can get around this, but we won’t compromise on our ingredients.”
