Tag: #bakery #latest news

Coultons Bread opens new distribution depot in Wales

by mrbakestone, posted in Latest News

 

Coultons Bread Ltd, one of the UK’s leading distribution bakeries, will open the base at Cibyn Industrial Estate , Caernarfon in November 2016 and will create 20 jobs

This depot is a strategic partnership between Coultons Bread Ltd and Allied Bakeries, whose brands include Kingsmill, Burgen, Allinson, and Sunblest.

Howard Hunter, managing director of Coultons Bread Ltd: “This is an exciting time for us all at Coultons Bread as we look to grow our bakery third party logistics services.

“We have established this business model with Allied Bakeries over the last three years at our existing six depot operations and we are proud to have built a strong reputation for operational efficiency and service excellence for our customers. Coultons will distribute the full catalogue of Allied Bakeries brands.”

coultons-vans-1

Allied Bakeries is one of three divisions of Allied Milling and Baking, which in turn is part of Associated British Foods plc.

Kingsmill

Winners of Baking Industry Awards revealed

by mrbakestone, posted in competitions

10 September, 2015
By Martyn Leek
BIA
The BIA champions for 2015 have been revealed
So here they are… the 2015 winners of the prestigious Baking Industry Awards.
Last night saw a sell-out crowd celebrate all the best in bakery as the awards went off with a bang at the fabulous London Park Lane Hilton hotel.
Among the lucky winners of the event, which is organised by British Baker and William Reed Business Media, were: Alex Gooch from Alex Gooch Artisan Baker in Powys, who came away with the coveted Baker of the Year title, sponsored by Brook Food Processing Equipment.
Other winners included Sainsbury’s, which scooped the award for In-store Bakery Retailer of the Year, sponsored by Zeelandia, for the second year running.
Martyn Leek, editor of British Baker, said: “The Baking Industry Awards continue to go from strength-to-strength celebrating, as they do, the very best in British baking. All of our finalists were worthy entrants in their own right but, as in any competition, we have to pick the best and I’d like to congratulate all of our winners.
“All of our finalists had a great night and were entertained throughout thanks to our Studio 54 disco-inspired theme and the wit and charm of host Claudia Winkelman. I’d also like to thank the judges, and our sponsors, and look forward to doing it all again in 2016.”
On the night guests were also entertained by the AB Mauri sponsored casino, with the star prize of a luxury weekend away in the Cotswolds. Guests also flocked to the photo booth sponsored by Wright’s Baking Ingredients and had the chance of winning an Xbox 360 and an Ipad mini thanks to the Kluman & Balter raffle. And, before the event, VIP guests were treated to a drinks reception sponsored by Soreen.
The winners in full:
Rising Star Award, sponsored by Craft Bakers’ Association: Nathan Giles
Speciality Bread Product of the Year, sponsored by British Bakels: Reeve the Baker, Salisbury – Seeded Sourdough
Customer Focus Award, sponsored by CSM United Kingdom: The Kitchen Croxley
Craft Business Award, sponsored by Dawn Foods: Patisserie Mark Bennett
Celebration Cake Business of the Year, sponsored by Renshaw: Brown’s Handcrafted Cakes
Bakery Manufacturer of the Year, sponsored by Sonneveld Group: Finsbury Food Group
The Innovation Award, sponsored by Asda: Ireks UK – Pão de Queijo
Free-from Bakery Product of the Year, sponsored by Ingredion UK: Incredible Bakery Company – Incredible Onion Panini
In-Store Bakery Retailer of the Year, sponsored by Zeelandia: Sainsbury’s
Baker of the Year, sponsored by Brook Food Processing Equipment: Alex Gooch, Alex Gooch Artisan Baker
Outstanding Contribution to the Baking Industry, sponsored by Délifrance: George Ross
To register your interest for next year’s awards or for more information see bakeryawards.co.uk
– See more at: http://www.bakeryinfo.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/14791/Winners_of_Baking_Industry_Awards_revealed.html#sthash.RfyT6fQy.dpuf

Allied Bakeries reviews 23 jobs in streamlining operation.

by mrbakestone, posted in Latest News

A major restructure at Allied Bakeries will see 23 management and admin roles go under review, including its category director position.
British Baker understands that the role of Martin Garlick, head of category and shopper, is one of those under consultation. Garlick has been with the company since 2013, and joined from Warburtons. At Allied, he has been responsible for the development and delivery of the Burgen Gluten Free bread launch.
The bakery giant, which owns brands such as Kingsmill and Burgen, said it would be reviewing roles at its Maidenhead and Liverpool offices, and it is anticipated that 23 roles will be impacted in total.
The company said this would make it more efficient as an organisation, as it aimed to remove cost and share activities more effectively across fewer roles.
This follows the appointment of a new managing director, Jon Jenkins, in May earlier this year.
A spokesperson from Allied Bakeries would not comment on the head of category and shopper role, but said: “We are currently consulting with our employees about the proposal. Every effort, including professional outplacement support, will be made to secure alternative employment either within Allied Bakeries, the broader ABF group or externally in their local area.
“We appreciate that this will be a difficult and unsettling time for our employees. Our proposals in no way reflect the commitment and efforts of those affected.”
The company has seen a torrid time recently, with the delisting of its sliced bread lines in Tesco. The bakery has since been increasing its volumes and is rebuilding Kingsmill’s presence in Tesco after the supermarket relisted two lines, although it said its margins remained under pressure.

Allied Bakeries £31million investment

by mrbakestone, posted in bread

Allied Bakeries makes £31m bakery investment17 April, 2015
By Bronya Smolen, British Baker

Allied Bakeries has made a £31m investment at its Stevenage bakery – completing its multi-million pound capital expenditure programme.

The owner of the Kingsmill brand has now finished its £210m five-year programme across the Allied Bakeries portfolio, something it claims is the largest UK bakery investment in recent years.

The company has built new bread plants in Stockport, West Bromwich, Glasgow and London, and has now rounded off the project with the new breadline which is capable of producing 9,000 loaves per hour. It has also installed new equipment.

This comes just weeks after Tesco delisted Kingsmill sliced bread from its stores. The company has also recently seen the departure of chief executive Mark Fairweather, which followed warning from ABF stating that Allied Bakeries profits would be “lower than last year”.

Nick Law, operations director at Allied Bakeries, said: “As a direct result of our investment, Allied Bakeries now has some of the most modern bakeries in the world and has a solid foundation upon which to compete in a value driven market.

“Our customers and consumers are seeing the benefits of our investment – market leading innovation, one of the most varied bakery product portfolios, and consistently high quality products. We have also enhanced the working environment for our people while significantly reducing our impact on the environment.”

A new rolls plant has been introduced at West Bromwich and a new Thins plant has also been established in Glasgow, both investments in product development.

Russell Zaple, general manager eastern region said: “The Stevenage bakery was one of the first to benefit from our investment, with the installation of our first new bread plant in 2010. We are proud to have benefited from this final phase of investment, which supports the bakery in enhancing production, developing new products, and reinforcing the high standards of consistency and quality in our baking process.”

The installation of new equipment at the site includes bulk silos, bulk ingredients systems, mixers, a tin and lid handling system, a prover and oven, a cooler, bread converyors and a slicer / bagger combo.

Allied Bakeries is a part of Associated British Foods (ABF). It also produces the Burgen, Allinson and Sunblest brands from nine production sites across the UK, as well as Kingsmill.

Warburtons strikes two-year partnership with BHF charity

by mrbakestone, posted in Latest News

27 October, 2014
By Bronya Smolen

Warburtons BHF packaging
Warburtons has announced a two-year commercial venture with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to raise awareness about healthy eating.
The charity and the family bakery will campaign over the next two years, by displaying key messages and the BHF logo on Warburtons Wholemeal loaf packaging.
The charity hopes the heart health messages will reach 6.8m households, based on the claim that 70m Warburtons wholemeal products are sold each year.
Neil Campbell, managing director at Warburtons, said: “This long term partnership is a first in Warburtons 138 year history. We have a natural fit with the BHF as we both have families at the heart of what we do and we have shared goals in health and nutrition.
“With so much misleading advice on diets, weight loss and healthy eating available, consumers are getting increasingly confused with what they should eat as part of a healthy balanced diet- especially when it comes to the role bread plays. Taking a sensible approach using the government’s nutritional guidelines, we will work with the BHF to help communicate key healthy eating messages to consumers about simple ways they can improve their diets, including the positive role of bread and starchy carbohydrates in these, while also supporting some of the BHF’s key campaigns.”
The messages will include information about how starchy carbohydrates, such as bread, can play a positive role in a healthy balanced diet.
Simon Gillespie, chief executive at the BHF, said: “Over 2.3m people in the UK are living with coronary heart disease. By working with the biggest bakery brand in Britain, we can reach families across the country, every day, with essential, lifesaving advice.
“We know that a healthy diet is an important part of keeping our hearts healthy. As a staple in UK households the partnership with Warburtons offers us a unique opportunity to help support families to make healthy choices as well as raise awareness of some of our key campaigns.”
– See more at: http://bakeryinfo.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/13330/Warburtons_strikes_two-year_partnership_with_BHF_charity.html#sthash.Gi23vGB8.dpuf

Kingsmill Great White wins award

by mrbakestone, posted in bread, Latest News
High fibre loaf
High fibre loaf

Allied Bakeries took home the Grocery Product Launch of the Year 2014 award at the Retail Industry Awards for its Great White Loaf.
After what the company has called the “most successful launch in food FMCG this year”, the loaf received 29% of votes for the title.
The loaf, which has 7g of fibre per 100g, compared with Kingsmill Tasty Wholemeal bread, which has 6.2g of fibre per 100g, will reappear on TV screens this month, following a £6.7m two-year marketing investment into the Kingsmill Great White campaign.
Martin Garlick, category director, Allied Bakeries, said: “The launch of Kingsmill Great White has attracted new consumers to the sector and helped to stem the decline in white bread sales.
“This latest award shows Allied Bakeries understands consumer needs and category challenges across the bakery sector. Being back on TV in October will be a great way to continue to drive awareness of Kingsmill Great White.”
Kingsmill Great White had the highest weekly unit sales, highest penetration and highest percentage repeat rate in 2014 so far, compared to Walkers Pops, Cadbury Crème Egg Biscuits, Weight Watchers 0% Fat Greek Style Yoghurt, Weetabix on the go, Robinsons Squash’d, Cadbury Marvellous Mix Ups and Nestlé Toffee Crisp Cereal [Nielsen Scantrack we23.08.14.]
Kingsmill later launched the Great White Roll in July.
– See more at: http://www.bakeryinfo.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/13243/Great_White_Loaf_scoops_Industry_win.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BWeekly%2BIssue%2B462#sthash.qHTjpQDh.dpuf

Website launch from AB informing you of the facts about Sugar

by mrbakestone, posted in Debate, Latest News

By Martyn Leek

Bakery supplier AB Sugar has launched a new website that aims to debunk some of the myths around sugar and obesity.

Makingsenseofsugar.com is is packed with the latest facts and stats, and AB Sugar hopes it will clarify some of the confusion behind sugars. The company has also launched a Twitter account @senseofsugar
The website comes after health campaigners this week called for sugar to account for less than 3% of people’s energy intakes.
AB Sugar has also commissioned an independent report in partnership with 2020Health, exploring potential policy solutions to the current obesity epidemic, along with launching the website and social media campaign.
Mark Carr, chief executive of AB Sugar, said: “This campaign forms part of a long-term, sustained investment from AB Sugar and, as a responsible business, reflects our commitment to help tackle the UK’s obesity challenge.
“Obesity is a complex issue that has no single cause. Current scientific consensus points to the over-consumption of calories in all its forms and our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, rather than obesity being a result of a single ingredient, such as sugar. In fact, as obesity rates continue to rise total sugars in the diet have actually fallen by almost 12% per capita in the past decade.**
We believe that there is an important job to be done to help empower consumers to make informed choices and to balance their overall calorie intake and diet. Tackling the obesity epidemic requires collaborative action and we are committed to playing our part.”
Sharon Fisher, communications manager of AB Sugar, added: “We’ve launched Making Sense of Sugar to inform and educate people about sugar. Our research has found that there is much confusion around health and obesity, especially where sugar is concerned.

“With this campaign, we want to provide factual and helpful information, where people who may be confused or simply want to learn more about sugar can do so and we encourage anyone with an interest in sugar to visit the website and follow us on Twitter to get the latest campaign news and updates.”
On Monday it was reported that a study in a BMC Public Health journal had suggested sugar should account for less than 3% of people’s energy intake. This is even more ambitious than the proposal from the World Health Organisation and government advisors, which advised it should account for 5%.
Report co-author Professor Philip James, a nutrition expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and past president of the World Obesity Federation, suggested that vending machines should be removed in government controlled areas like schools and hospitals.
– See more at: http://bakeryinfo.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/13159/AB_Sugar_fights_back_in_sugar_obesity_row_with_facts_website.html#sthash.nfrDkJTc.dpuf

Kingsmill Launch Sandwich Thins

by mrbakestone, posted in Latest News

Kingsmill has this morning launched a new range of sandwich thins – coupled with the announcement of an £8.4m investment at its bakery in Glasgow.
Kingsmill Sandwich Thins are square, pre-sliced thin rolls, available in both white and 50/50 varieties.
Kingsmill, owned by Allied Bakeries, said the launch was to capitalise on £30m-worth of growth in the sandwich thins market and it apes the move by Warburtons into the sector some years ago
Janene Warsap, head of Innovation at Kingsmill, said: “Our in-depth research shows that consumers want both variety and healthier alternatives when it comes to bakery. Kingsmill Sandwich Thins, which have 99 calories each, are an easy way to make delicious sandwiches or snacks, such as mini-pizzas or dip accompaniments that all the family can enjoy.
Infrastructure
“Not only are we investing in our bakery infrastructure to build capacity and distribution, but we are also committing £5m over two years to a significant and sustained marketing campaign, including TV and shopper marketing, which demonstrates our belief in sandwich alternatives as the growth engine for bakery.”
The RRP is £1.29 for a pack of six thins and they will be available in store from September.
Chris Longbottom, from Kantar Worldpanel, added: “As a nation we eat 5.1 billion sandwiches a year – seven times more than our next favourite food, pizza. However, people are seeking out lighter alternatives and more variety from all their meals and snacks, which is evidenced by the staggering growth experienced in sandwich alternatives. In fact, we’ve seen nearly £30m of value growth in sandwich alternatives come from incremental sales alone – a level of growth that is far outpacing the growth rate of plant bakery overall.”

 

By Bronya Smolen

 

Kingsmill Sandwich Thins
– See more at: http://www.bakeryinfo.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/13100/Kingsmill_enters_sandwich_thins_market.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BWeekly%2BIssue%2B446#sthash.UMA5XwAt.dpuf