One key to business success in this sector is fast turnaround—with the aim being to get
chilled fresh product onto shelves within 24 hours of the order being received from a
retailer. This urgency is driven partly by the fact that fresh foods often have a shelf life
of only three to four days, so that time-to-market is even more critical. “Success in our
sector comes down not just to product innovation and manufacturing fresh and tasty
foods, but on getting them out of manufacturing and onto shelves in as timely and
efficient manner as possible,”comments Malcolm Clarke, Business Systems Analyst for
Daniels Group
Daniels already has seven manufacturing sites in the UK and this number is set to
increase. There is an additional layer of complexity in chilled foods businesses as their
product ranges are inherently seasonal. One example is New Covent Garden Food
Company. This operation has a history of innovation—for example, New Covent Garden
was the first to introduce fresh soup products to the world. But what is noteworthy
is that sales of New Covent Garden soup products rise sharply when the weather turns
colder—not unusual, of course, in Europe. So, seasonality means being able to respond
at lightning speed to changing circumstances, which in turn places a premium on accurate
and timely electronic trading