Finsbury Food Group: Sailing on clear blue water

Source: Food and Drink Digital

Date :26/11/2007 12:28:09

Memory Lane Cakes is Finsbury Food Group’s founding subsidiary. Innovations Director Kevin Binns tells ExecUK how he keeps his high-profile customers happy.

Written by Sam Wright and produced by Hannah Edwards

Memory Lane is a supplier of pre-packed cakes to multiple retailers, including many leading supermarkets. Production is focused on an eight acre freehold site in Cardiff, with sales at well over £50 million per annum.

Kevin Binns has been working for the company since 1997, initially starting on a youth placement before being offered a job after his graduation in 1999. He began his employment as a project manager in the product development department, before moving on up a couple of years later to Product Development Manager. In December last year he was promoted to Innovations Director.

Consistency

Having worked with Memory Lane before it became part of Finsbury, he says the company has remained constant, in day to day terms at least, since the acquisition. “To be honest,” he says “there’s not been a great deal of change, apart from the company getting a lot bigger. Dave Brooks, who was the MD of the company, moved on to be the CEO of Finsbury Food Group, so it still feels quite like a family run business. None of the senior management team has really changed. It has just expanded.”

This growth is continuing to increase with Marks and Spencer, currently the only major UK supermarket chain that Memory Lane doesn’t supply, which is all set to begin to carry their products. “We’re due to launch some products with them soon.” says Mr. Binns, adding that that they would be small cake items similar to their lines for Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

New product development is obviously an area that he is greatly interested in, and with Memory Lane launching many new lines each year, he was keen to talk us through the process from concept to launch.

“Our initial product brief can come in from several areas,” he says. “We like to think that anyone in the company can have a good idea. A good idea is a good idea after all, regardless of where it comes from.

Fresh insight

“It can come from almost any angle, from anyone that has some sort of association with the department. Anyone with a vested interest in the company doing well is welcome to send in an idea, and those ideas are filtered. I think it’s really important to have inspiration from everywhere.

“Our senior buyer, for instance, has a real vested interest in development and is always coming up ideas; some good, some a little bit wacky. It’s important to capture innovation, no matter the source.”

Mr. Binns attributes this approach to the company’s impressive sales, which they feel have the capacity to increase by at least £10 million in the future.

“In my opinion,” he says, “this is why the company has grown and done so well. We’ll never turn an idea down without thoroughly examining it. It’s never just discarded or brushed aside, and this has always been the case...”

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