Fine food distributor Cotswold Fayre is delighted to announce the appointment of three new starters to its team, as the company continues to grow and lead the way in sustainable wholesaling.
Taking on the new role of Sales Director, Lawrence Moore, an established FMCG professional, brings experience of working with brands including Britvic, Red Bull and Belvoir to the purpose driven business. He said: “Cotswold Fayre’s values have a strong alignment with my own passion for CSR. The company has a strong moral compass and is a business with heart. I’m joining at a time of high growth, which makes it a really exciting career move.
“Having worked with the team as a supplier at Belvoir, I can see the business from both sides, and it’s a real beacon for purposeful business within the SME sector, while making a tangible difference too. To be part of the B Corp movement, that’s so much bigger, is hugely exciting – and we certainly have some bold plans up our sleeves!”
Moore’s appointment will allow CEO Paul Hargreaves to spend more time on expanding the business elsewhere. With the company’s foodhall and kitchen build underway, he is also writing a second book, following the success of Forces for Good, and taking on more industry speaker opportunities.
Also joining the team is Faye Foot, in a newly created Ecommerce Manager role as the as the company handles an increase of online orders and prepares for future growth. Having previously worked across multiple disciplines and sectors, her new strategic role aims to build on the success of the company’s ecommerce site while looking at options to enhance its offering. She said: “I have a real passion for food, as well as being really interested in the website user experience, SEO, data and analytics. This role allows me to do everything I love – and will include making data driven decisions by monitoring the customer journey online to improve the overall user experience! From website audits, to using technology to drive towards a bigger goal, Cotswold Fayre is such an exciting company to join, and it’s great to feel so empowered to make a real difference!”.
Finally, Laura Strapp, joins the ever-growing team as Ambient Buyer. With a career spanning buying for Safeway, Budgens and online garden retailer, Primrose, Laura’s experience includes owning her own portfolios predominantly buying for chilled, bakery and ambient. She said: “It’s a really interesting time to be a buyer and I just love the fast pace of it all. This role means that I’m always learning, developing relationships and meeting supplier needs. I’ve always really enjoyed sourcing new suppliers, and as part of a small team with big ambitions at Cotswold Fayre we can move really quickly and cut out a lot of red tape. I’ll be looking for gaps in our current portfolio and looking to expand our range. For example, home baking has proven extremely popular since lockdown, and there’s a real opportunity to supply more great brands, who are already in demand”.
Founded in 1999 Cotswold Fayre has grown rapidly to become the leading wholesaler in the sector, supplying more than 1,500 retailers within the UK and Ireland.
The company employs a pioneering approach in consolidating the wholesaler offering, reducing the carbon footprint of retailers, and offsetting remaining carbon to net zero. And has built such a reputation with the world of food and drink start-ups that it is, in most cases, the first wholesaler these new brands contact when they want to grow their distribution.
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