Fairway Foodservice doubles turnover in the last 10 years

Buying and marketing group, Fairway Foodservice, is celebrating 40 years since inception, with the announcement of incredible growth results and plans for the future.

In 1984, Frozen Food Distributors – as Fairway Foodservice was known – began with five wholesalers and a collective turnover of £7m. Fast forward 40 years, and the company is now 18 members strong and has a collective turnover of £1.1bn, double that of its last anniversary in 2014.

Fundamental to the company’s growth was the launch of Fairway Assured, in 1990, created in response to the growing demands for cheaper yet high quality alternatives to brand leaders. Over the past 24 years, the own-brand range has grown from a small selection of frozen desserts to over 450 products, including frozen, ambient, chilled and non-food. The Fairway Assured brand is offered to members alongside a full portfolio of over 6000 products.

Over the last 10 years, the company has truly accelerated in terms of its offering for members, with innovations such as Fairway Connect, in 2016, an internal portal designed to improve members services and increase functionality in the business, followed by the launch of their 360° marketing offering for members. Fully embracing digital marketing, Fairway Foodservice now offers everything from social media support to email marketing and e-commerce websites.

In addition to this, Fairway Foodservice was also a key driver in the development of innovative applications such as Erudus. The brainchild of Fairway Foodservice in 2007, the allergy, nutritional and technical product software, has become an invaluable tool in the food industry.

Paying close attention to market trends and customer demands has been monumental in the growth of Fairway Foodservice and its ability to offer members a complete offering, from a wide range of products to customer support. Whether it’s recipe inspiration, new products or informative articles around growing trends and consumer habits, which can be found in the company’s digital magazine, Chef’s Insider, Fairway Foodservice has embraced changes in the industry and ensured their members are equipped with the best tools to meet the demands of customers.

Over the past few years, Fairway Foodservice has also been increasing its emphasis on traceability, sustainability, plastics reduction and environmental protection, and have already made great progress.

“I am incredibly proud of everyone at Fairway Foodservice for the role they’ve had to play in making the company what it is today,” says Coral Rose, Managing Director. “We’ve been consistently ahead of the curve, whether that be in our tech and marketing strategies or sustainability plans and achievements.

“With our foodservice expertise, our members trust us to continue to provide solutions that help them to be a better, more successful business. And with many more initiatives in the pipeline, I have no doubt we will continue to grow at an even faster pace.”