Month: January 2018

Championing great value bread

by mrbakestone, posted in Debate, Latest News

Coultons – we’re Championing a great value for money loaf for the convenience sector.

Just a few years ago, the Great British public were a very brand conscious bunch, but things have changed, changed quickly and they continue to do so and none more so than in the category of food.

Since the surge in growth of discounters in the UK, we have as a nation become accustomed to shopping in stores that carry virtually no well-known brands what-so-ever.  This has created a cultural change in shopping habits across the high-street and supermarkets as consumers are more willing to be curious and explore what is on offer.  Retailers have upgraded own-label offerings, introduced sub-brands to compete with the discounters creating a surge in growth of private label across categories.

At Coultons Bread Limited, we’re embracing this with our very own brands that can champion great quality and competitiveness for retail convenience.  Our range of 800g & 700g retail loaves in Bakestone, Happy Bread or Hethertons branding present opportunities for the convenience sector to compete with the supermarkets by offering a quality loaf that can compete with the buying power of those businesses.

 

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Our heart and soul are with the convenience sector, we don’t supply the supermarkets and our brands therefore remain exclusive to the convenience retail sector and catering services.

Our brands represent great value for money and in terms of quality, we produce them to exacting standards that match those of the high street brands.

Within the sliced bread sector, private label is the fastest growing area of the market driven by the supermarkets.  Our positioning at Coultons is clear.  We’ll keep our range simple and focus on the core SKUs of White, Wholemeal & White&Wholemeal (we call it Brite – it’s a little bit of Brown and a little bit of White).  We’ll offer these exclusively for the retail convenience sector at comparable quality to the major brands and at a price that will compete with the supermarkets.

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We are well and truly on your side.  We’re keeping one step ahead of the market trends, so you can rely on us to deliver for the market that we solely represent.  We’re Championing Great Value & Quality in Convenience Retail.

Meeting customer expectations

by mrbakestone, posted in Feature

Of the groceries which are at the heart of the staple diet for most people in Britain, it’s usually milk and bread which are used in “price wars” between retailers. Both are the most purchased grocery items in the UK today, and the perception is that consumers will take all of their grocery shopping to the store where they find they can get one or both of these the cheapest.

Whilst price is certainly an important factor for shoppers, when it comes to bread it is not quite as decisive or as important as reports sometimes suggest. In the overwhelming majority of cases, consumers want quality, freshness and choice, and it is these factors which determine their shopping habits as well as price. Although obviously people do not have a “spare no expense” approach to buying bread, it is nonetheless clear that quality is crucial when they are choosing where to shop.

We are committed to making sure you can harness all of these factors in your shop. Our bread and bakery category features close to a thousand different products, and we are perpetually adding to the selection. This means that whatever your customers are looking for in your bakery section, we are the people to supply it. We also deliver it at a time and on a frequency which suits you. Whether it’s early morning or late afternoons that would suit you best, or whether you need daily or weekly deliveries, we will work with you to get a time in place that ensures maximum freshness for your customers.

Costing is of course an important factor. That’s why we strive to present the most affordable service, allowing you to make savings which can be passed on to your customers. We firmly believe that it is possible to deliver high quality service at a low cost, and time and again we have proudly delivered on this belief. Over the course of the last three decades we have been able to provide outstanding bespoke bread supply, and we are ready to provide the same for your business.

 

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New Year, New Opportunities

by mrbakestone, posted in Feature

Coultons New van

Convenience shops need a flexible supplier if they are to meet the needs of their customers effectively. The size of many shops makes it impossible to store a huge volume of goods, so regular deliveries are likely to be necessary to maintain stock levels. This can prove to be a risk if you don’t choose reliable suppliers who will deliver on time whenever you place an order. However, it can also be an advantage, with more space freed up and less risk of waste.

One of the most frequent deliveries you will need to organise is bread. The shelf life of pre-wrapped loaves is generally three or four days. You need to be aware of consumer habits too and the fact that people are unlikely to buy a loaf if it only has a day or two before the best before date. This means regular deliveries of smaller amounts may be a better option for your business.

We provide a dedicated bread supply service in the North West for convenience stores, and have tailored our services to ensure they are as flexible as possible. We can cater for all kinds of requirements, arranging delivery schedules to suit each specific client. You can rely on us to get fresh premium baked products to you exactly when you need them, whether that is several times a week or just once a week.

The daily range of all the bread brands, including Hovis, Warburtons, Kingsmill, Roberts plus our own bread brands of Hethertons, Happy Bread and Bakestone  is such that we have become the North’s one stop shop solution for all bakery needs

We have expanded our service over the years, entering new markets gradually to ensure there is no adverse effect on the services we offer in our established areas. We can meet the needs of store owners throughout the region, so if you would like to discuss your needs with us please feel free to get in touch.