Award-winning fine food distributor The Cress Company is delighted to announce the appointment of three new roles across Buying and Marketing, as the company continues to grow prior to move to their new Dunfermline, Scotland HQ and Telford Depot launch.
Cress Co’s Assistant Buyer, Steph Johnstone who has been with The Cress Company since 2016, will be heading up both Ambient and Seasonal categories.
Nikki Castley, Head Buyer at Cress Co, said “Steph is a core member of the buying team and comes with a huge amount of knowledge of all things Cress. Steph has previously managed our Seasonal offer so is in a strong position to take this forward for the business. Steph will work closely with our supply base to ensure we offer commercial well priced ranges that will take Cress into the next level!”
Steph said “It’s a really exciting time just now for Cress and I feel very privileged to be part of such a fast-growing company, adding “Seasonal Buying is a highlight for me, ensuring we bring together the best collection for our customer. In 2020, it was a challenge to ensure we were able to fulfil our customer requirements on the Christmas ranges – working closely with new suppliers such as The Bottle Baking Co meant we were able to meet the demand within our promised schedules to ensure continuity of supply.
Also joining The Cress Co. team at the beginning of April 2021, is Erica Burnett, coming on board as a Buyer to look after the fine food distributor’s increasing Chilled category.
Cress Co’s Head Buyer Nikki Castley said “Erica brings over 6 years of buying experience working in the fast-moving world of retail fashion. In her last role Erica was responsible for the day-to-day operations of a cross category buying department. Managing her own categories and ensuring she was quick to spot trends, her commercial awareness is a key skill that will benefit Cress.” Nikki added, “Erica is very used to liaising with a whole range of suppliers and managing the critical path.”
Erica said, “I am so excited to be joining The Cress Co. as they have just won top distributor for the 4th consecutive year! “The highlight from my career so far would be launching River Island Baby in 2018. It was great to see the products come to life!”. I love being a buyer because every day is different, you are continuously learning and adapting and getting to work with new suppliers and product areas.”
Nikki Castley added, “We as a business have been quick to respond, ensuring we have the chilled ranges available to meet with the increase in demand. We have seen a requirement for more convenience led product ranges as shopping patterns shift from supermarkets to the independents, we are continually sourcing and introducing new ranges that will fit the needs of our customers – having a team in place is vital to its success.”
Finally, taking on the newly created role of Marketing Manager, Lucy Paul, a marketer with experience across FMCG and the hospitality industry, previously working with fellow independent Scottish wholesaler JB Foods, part of the Caterforce Group. She said: “Now is the perfect time for Cress Co to build and grow their digital presence after a busy 2020. I will be working on improving Cress Co’s website, customer experience, SEO and social media platforms”. Adding, I am a huge foodie who studied Hospitality and Marketing at University. In my spare time, I run a food Instagram page, I just love talking about food, so it’s the perfect role for me!”.
To find out more about The Cress Company’s latest vacancies, visit www.thecressco.co.uk.
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