Union Market: Tessa’s Take
Union Market Storefront
“Union Market’s proposition is about traceable, natural, regional, high-quality, best-practice British food,” the founder Tony Bromovsky says. “We want to deconstruct the old drab supermarket model and replace it with the fun of shopping and eating in a beautiful food hall that reflects timeless rural values and practices.”
Crispin Odey is backing this venture and it’s a wise investment. At 5,500 square feet, it’s a manageable size in a high-traffic location.
My experience of this new British version of Whole Foods Market is that they’ll pack ‘em in.
The space, formerly the Grade Two listed Fulham Broadway ticket hall, is airy, light and beautiful. Hop up on a stool with a richly roasted coffee ( note to Union: please add a flat white!) from Origin Coffee Roasters, a new Cornish roastery, and drink it all in.
There is a carefully edited selection of all the premium foodie grocery items you might want, and some you won’t have seen before. There is beautiful cheese from Neals Yard (my tip is the Ardrahan), Rothschild wine, an intriguing selection of bottled beers and Jamaican rums, fresh fruit and veg from LEAF-accredited farms, a smiling butcher and helpful young staff. All at prices that feel similar to Waitrose, but in an Anthropologie style environment. If retail is theatre, this one’s set for an extended run.
My tip: get up early and go (it opens at 8) before it gets packed out with Fulhamite yummy mummies. Oh, and the scrambled eggs are pretty darn good too.
Tags: foodie, groceries, investment, Neals Yard, Origin Coffee Roasters, premium, retail theatre, scrambled eggs, staff, Union Market, Waitrose
Five Things I Wish I Had Known: Rude Health
It’s addictive. Do you know anybody who has run his/her own business and then gone on to work for somebody else? We don’t. For all the responsibility, daft hours and frustrations, once you are a business runner, always a business runner. Either that or we’re all unemployable.
Nobody Cares as Much as You
We were confident that we knew cereal right from the start but felt like rank amateurs when it came to organising events, designing exhibition stands and most of the things that you need to do to get cereals to the people who eat them. So it was very tempting to let specialists offer their services. Now we do almost everything ourselves. I think you can interpret this in 2 ways:
- We are total control freaks who can’t delegate anything.
- Real enthusiasm and commitment are as important as expertise, and no-one is more committed to or enthusiastic about your business than you.
You Don’t Know Anything.
When we started mixing muesli ingredients at the kitchen table, I was confident that we knew about cereals, and could soon learn how to put them in boxes and sell them to shops. How people must have laughed. In four years I’ve learnt a lot about event organising, import laws, labelling regulations, data analysis and myself. Mostly I’ve learned how much there is to learn. I thought running the business was a SATs test, but it’s more of a PhD.
You Will Have A Head Full Of Random Facts.
Even though I now feel as though there is a lifetime of learning to be done, my head is crammed with food facts. Did you know that: cereal boxes are read more than anything except the bible? Cost is not an issue when buying baby food, but becomes a big issue as soon as they are weaned? There’s no such thing as a local muesli? You have 3 seconds to convince a customer to buy your food in store? Whole milk is only 4% fat? You only have to look at our cereal packs to see where this stuff has found its outlet. The point of this is that everything is useful, keep listening.
People Steal Plants.
This may not seem relevant but stick with it. We planted a little garden of herbs and fruits outside our office one Friday afternoon. It was just big enough to grow herbs for lunch, use all our teabaggy compost and brighten up the car park. We arrived at work on Monday to find the plants were gone. Every little seedling. So we cursed the worthless plant thief and upped the ante. We are now the proud owners of the world’s first pallet garden. The pallet goes out every day into the wind, rain and sun, and comes in to the warehouse every evening. And we had pallet-garden basil on our tomatoes for lunch today. Don’t give up.
Tags: commitment, don't give up, enthusiasm, keep listening, learning
Innocent on Innovation
Lucy Thomas is the Innovation Project Manager at innocent drinks. She has a Bsc Food Science, Reading, and worked at Unilver Bestfoods for 3 years. Her 7 years at innocent, mainly in product development, have included: kids’ smoothies, juicy waters, super smoothies, breakfast thickies, Rainforest Alliance banana sourcing, orange juice, veg pots and co-authoring the recipe book. She says:
1. Quality First
My first 2 years in the food industry were in technical. As every product developer knows, the first and foremost responsibility is to ensure that the products designed are safe. Secondly, if you don’t work with the best people, you won’t end up with a consistently great product in market. Ingredient suppliers, technologists and manufacturers – only ever work with the best.
2. Don’t Take No For an answer
Ask “why?” three times and you often get to the real answer. Many manufacturers and suppliers use process parameters and additives because they always have done. No-one has ever challenged: “Why?” and sought out a better alternative. Challenge the industry assumptions and you’ll push boundaries.
3. Consumer is king
Don’t be dumb and make important product decisions on a few opinions. Get products in front of consumers and test, refine and test again. Be creative to make quick sense checks, which are cost-effective. Make Survey Monkey your best friend. Use your instincts and embrace feedback.
4. Keep it simple
We have a really simple guiding principle at innocent. Does it taste good? Does it do you good? Does it do it naturally? If the answer to any of these is no then we won’t launch. It’s powerful to have a sense check before you commit to launch.
5. Networking
We work with consultants from time to time and this keeps our development work fresh. From food technologists to world class chefs, it keeps new products authentic and relevant. Knowledge exchange sessions with other companies are also a great way to get inspired.
Develop a network of contacts. We are always seeking to learn from universities and food research agencies like Campden. Knowledge leads to innovation.
5 PR Tips from our guest expert, Ailana
Ailana Kamelmacher of Story PR
1. Hold that front page
It’s tough out there. PR can help you stand out from the crowd. Is your product or service the first of its kind ever in the world/biggest/most expensive or cheapest/fastest or any kind of extraordinary? If not, are you sure you have a story at all? Things that are genuinely exciting for your own business, or even within your particular sector, aren’t necessarily going to be of interest to the general public. Have you worked out the one amazing, groundbreaking thing that means you could sell in a story in 30 seconds? If not, maybe someone else deserves that front page slot after all.
2. What are you doing it for?
There are lots of reasons for doing PR. It’s more cost effective than some other sorts of marketing, it can help build your brand in a deep way, and it works well in partnership with the newer more conversational areas like social media. However, what is your goal? Do you want 20 more calls to the customer hotline? Do you want one buyer to take that meeting because there’s a buzz about your brand? Do you just want to get on telly because it’s a lifelong ambition? If you are clear, chances are your PR person (if you have one) will create a more focussed, more effective campaign for you.
3. Are we having a relationship here?
It may seem obvious, but PR is based on relationships: between PR and journalist, PR and brand owner, brand owner and journalist. As in most relationships I’ve found honesty works best. If you’d still like to be able to pick up the phone to this journalist in ten years’ time, maybe a tricky conversation today will secure your long term future:
“I’m sorry I don’t know the answer, but I will try and find out.”
“We can’t get back to you before your deadline so you’d better find another person to comment.”
“I’ve never read your magazine, what is it about, and what are your readers most interested in?”
4. A little light planning.
NPD. Many of the fantastic entrepreneurs I work with are at it all the time. They’ve got ideas coming thick and fast and they are nimble enough to act on them. But spare a thought for your PR. Can you at least try and give them three months notice AND a picture? Remember, at least for food & drink, Christmas happens in July. If you want your product in any Christmas feature, it needs to be ready by the end of June to be tasted and trialled in July.
5. You read mine and I’ll read yours probably…
Even if you can afford a PR person who reads all the papers, blogs and magazines for you, it pays to read them yourself. If you understand the tone, content and approach of some of the media you thought were relevant to your consumer you might be happier to steer your PR in a new direction. If you and your team truly understand the media you are pitching to, chances are you’d tailor a story that works just for them and they’ll be happy to write about you. One size fits all does not work. Make five amazing calls instead of emailing 100 releases. Even if it’s just ten minutes a week, try to find the time to read something your customer might read, you might even understand more about them in the process.
The end.
Tags: build your brand, buyer, honesty, journalist, NPD, PR, relationships, social media, stand out, tailor a story, understand the media
Tessa’s Take:Researching High Net Worth People
With past clients ranging from Jupiter Asset Management ( fund investors); Pearson (HR Directors of FTSE companies); Ernst & Young (entrepreneurs); British Airways (BA Executive Club travellers) and now Savills (prime property buyers and owners), I’ve had to work out ways of researching these busy, impatient, hard to get at, time-pressed people.
It’s NOT focus groups, which is what clients always start by requesting. Anyone who tells you it’s possible to get these people into a focus group is:
- a) lying
- b) packing it with ‘friends of friends’
- c) going to serve you up a sub-standard selection of people who’ve been bribed into coming along.
What about face to face depth interviews, I hear you say?
Extremely costly for you, and likely to be moved or cancelled by the PA whose job it is to protect her high net worth boss from irritations like ’surveys’ and ‘market researchers’ (both very dirty words these days).
Online surveys with Survey Monkey? That tells your customers that you’ve knocked up a quick survey on your desktop and emailed it round, hoping some random responses will occur and be enough to create some data for your senior management.
Your precious customer database should be handled differently . Ask them gently by email if they can help you with a quick conversation with an independent consultant you are retaining to find out the views of your most special customers, and give them the option to opt in or out.
You will find that most will agree; they love being flattered. You will get useful data on that individual which will help you market to them; you will understand the emotional connection they have with your organisation, see trends and themes emerging which will help you with developing new products or services for them, you will remind them you value them and prompt more business. You have much to gain. What are you waiting for?
Tags: conversation, customers, depth interviews, developing new products, emotional connection, focus groups, high net worth;, market, market researchers, online surveys, prompt more business, researching hard to get at people, Survey Money, surveys, themes, trends, useful data, value them, views
Energy and Perspective: Tessa’s Take
I’ve just been surfing in Cornwall. The energy of the waves was awesome. That exhilarating surfing down the front of the wave was a massive rush. I get the same buzz out of business and I hope you do.
Business needs energy, timing and bravery too, but it also needs perspective.
Floating in the sea off our beautiful island gave me that chance to take stock, to realise what’s important and what’s not, to re-fuel my energies, to unwind my mind.
Make sure that you take time out from your business and your everyday life. Take a tip from the kestrels hanging in the air above Polzeath – get that hovering view.
Happy holidays to you all.
Tags: business, strategy, take stock, take time out
How Spending on Design Makes You Money
Loseley re-design
Tessa says:
“Re-branding works not only for new products, but also for established brands which have lost their way. Here’s a piece of re-branding I love, for its wit, humour, and connection with its original heritage. It was done by Lee, who also did the header for this blog.”
Lee Newham of Designed by Good People explains how the packaging he designed for Loseley Ice Cream (while he was at P & W) turned things around:
“Years of neglect and poor brand management had left Loseley, once a premium ice cream brand, losing both listings and its loyal consumer following. Here’s how it looked:
The owners of premium ice cream Hill Station then took over the brand, rejuvenating the brand as ‘the English ice cream’, by returning back to Loseley’s original heritage, based on its origins at Loseley House in Surrey and its availability at stately homes – part of a nice English day out.
Each pack was made to look like the style of paintings seen hanging in stately home Loseley House. Subtle wit was introduced as each image shows the character struggling to enjoy their ice cream while sitting for the portrait. One has ice cream on his nose, on another it has melted down her hand. The brand’s tongue was firmly kept in its cheek. By playing humorously on the brand’s heritage in the packaging, Loseley saved and increased its listings. The design went on to be nominated for or win 7 major international design competitions.”
Loseley re-design
Tags: established brands, increased listings, losing consumers, losing listings, original heritage, packaging, playing on brand's heritage, re-branding, rejuvenating the brand
Ten Things by Giles Brook of Bear
Giles Brook co-founded Bear, healthy fruit snacks, and has the European rights to Vita Coco, a coconut drink, which recently sustained John Isner in his marathon Wimbledon match.
His Ten Things are:
1. Keep it simple. Get your business plan onto one page. The real test is that unprompted, someone should be able to pick it up and understand your business strategy without you explaining a thing.
2. Stay focused on your target market. Don’t dilute your impact by trying to appeal to too wide an audience. Market to your core audience; they will be your loyalists and heaviest buyers.
3. No big bets. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t raise funds for investment but do more test and trial initiatives before you spend big. Test first and then roll them out.
4. Get close to your customer. Always ask yourself: “Are you doing everything you can to understand and listen to your customer as well as making them feel loved?”
5. Find a business mentor. Vested interest or not, enrol the help of someone who can provide sound business advice and support.
6. Take your product to your customer. Invest in getting your product or service into prospective customer hands, too often people invest in mediums which require customers to come to them.
7. Be viable from day 1. If your top or bottom line isn’t where it needs to be pre-launch, don’t launch until you know you can categorically get there
8. Keep evolving. Change and freshness is a good thing, don’t rest on your laurels or ignore that elephant in the corner of the room.
9. Build strong external partners. As well as building a strong immediate team, be it creative agencies, PR companies or accountants, invest in the right partners and make them feel part of the team
10. Product integrity every time. If you’re launching in food & drink, leave nothing to chance when it comes to product integrity, from ingredients all the way to packaging – check and declare everything.
Tags: evolve, find a mentor, focus on target market, heaviest buyers, keep it simple, listen to customer, loyalists, make customer feel loved, product integrity, take product to customer, test, trial, viable from Day 1
What Can I Find Out For You?
Before I meet food entrepreneurs, I give them one question to think about before we meet:
What keeps you awake at night in your business?
Answers so far have included:
- “I’m usually exhausted as I’ve done so many hours!”
- keeping the business going
- dealing with the obstacles that appear every single day and remaining energised and optimistic
- the Waitrose buyer being on maternity leave and therefore not making decisions about stocking
- new packaging back from the printers and not remotely as specified
to the bigger questions:
- developing new lines and new categories
- exporting
- exit strategies.
This blog is for you all.
Tell me what questions you’d like answered and I’ll try to find someone who’s been there done that who’ll share.
So, comment away…!
Tags: dealing with obstacles, questions
Peppersmith Pound the Pavements – Distribution
Dan of Peppersmith shares his thoughts on getting distribution.
Peppersmith is an independent British company that makes natural gum from quality ingredients : www.peppersmith.co.uk
Launched in January 2010, Peppersmith has just secured its first grocer listing, after growing success in the high-end independent trade.
Dan says:
1. Choose the right strategy for your brand: are you aiming for a grocery listing or to build a heartland in the independent trade? Understand the pros and cons of each, as this decision will have a fundamental impact on your business model. Only the very strongest brands are able to build demand in both sectors.
2. Remember where you are stocked is a key part of your brand. If a consumer first discovers you in a local deli it will leave a different impression than if it’s in a big superstore. Not that one is right, and one is wrong: it all depends on what fits with your proposition.
3. Find good distributors who serve the right kind of stores in the right geographical areas. Get them to buy into your vision and work collaboratively to achieve it. Don’t expect them to do all the work; to really succeed, you’ll have to pound the streets, knock on doors and hammer the phones to build momentum.
4. Don’t underestimate the importance and the time it takes to service existing outlets. It won’t be possible to spend your whole time bringing on new stockists. It is much harder than you think just to maintain a stockist; every week they are approached by new brands promising them the sales opportunity of a lifetime. Make sure you get in touch regularly to check they are happy, well stocked up and have all the point of sale they need.
5. Track, learn and adjust. It takes time to get the processes right but tracking sales data is a must. Understand which types of outlet are working well, and which are not, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Tags: deli, distributors, grocer listing, independent trade, point of sale, sales data, stockists, superstore, the right kind of stores, tracking sales
