Improving value and developing the customer shopping experience was at the heart of the mission to come out of James Hall & Co. Ltd’s Annual Supplier Partners Review.
Held at the company’s SPAR Distribution Centre at Bowland View in Preston across two days, more than 200 supplier partners joined together for a comprehensive review of the previous 12 months and a look ahead to 2027 and beyond.
Suppliers in the room ranged from established multinational companies through to up-and-coming challenger brands – which SPAR has a strong track record of elevating – and there were also multi-generational family-owned businesses across ambient, fresh, and frozen categories.
Better collaboration, improved promotions, and simpler trading terms headed an action-packed agenda, followed by company supply chain developments and investments and updates to fresh food proposition.
There was also a focus on range reviews, category development, marketing opportunities, and customer engagement before a hearty lunch of own manufactured Clayton Park Bakery products was served to guests.
Further sampling of Clayton Park, Fazilas, and Graham Eyes Butchers products were available during a visit to SPAR Lathom, one of James Hall & Co. Ltd’s leading SPAR stores and forecourts after reopening in November 2025 after a £3m knockdown rebuild.
Brandon Howard, Commercial Director at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “Our Annual Supplier Partners Review offered an opportunity to connect multiple departments from the business with our supplier network with the ambition of delivering a range of positive wholesale and retail outcomes.
“Through the agenda of impactful business updates that we lined up for partners at our distribution centre, combined with an enlightening store visit at Lathom, I think there is clear alignment on how we need to work together to deliver mutually improved performance.
“Honest discussions were held, collaborative ideas were shared, and the first steps of exciting future developments were taken. I think it has been hugely valuable, and I would like to extend my thanks to our supplier partners for taking the time to travel, for their engagement, and their continued support of James Hall & Co. Ltd.”
Lauren Smith, Customer Account Manager at For Goodness Shakes, said: “We are the fastest growing protein drink brand in the country in terms of value. Looking at our portfolio of products and seeing where we are within SPAR, I have come away with a better understanding of the many avenues that are there to pursue. With the natural growth within protein drinks anyway, and the added opportunities with SPAR, I am excited as to where we can go from here.
“We are a challenger brand; we want to raise awareness of our products, and we want to meet the demographics that are seeking our products. I think James Hall’s mission is similar to ours. With the passion and capability within the business, I think we are well placed to work together to capitalise on that.”
Richard Geldard, Director of Geldard Farm Eggs, said: “It has been a challenging period for egg production in the UK but the two-way relationship we have with James Hall has been fantastic. The two brands we have in SPAR North of England stores – our South Lakeland Free Range Eggs and our Big Yolkers – have resonated with SPAR customers and have driven good sales growth.
“I have really enjoyed the Supplier Review. We are a family business, and it has been a great opportunity to understand the James Hall business better; a long-standing family business with real heritage, and how it has evolved over the generations to meet the needs of modern consumers.”
James Hall & Co. Ltd is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.
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