PPMA-Group-News-Autumn-2018

History in the making
By Andrew Mint, Chief Executive
Officer of the PPMA Group
September is the busiest
month for the PPMA Group
and this year it brings
the largest PPMA Show
since records began. Innovation
is at the heart of our industry and
the show will reflect this, featuring
350 exhibitors (comprising over
1,500 brands) showcasing the latest
products and services throughout
11,000m 2 at the NEC, Birmingham
(25-27 September).
Combined with two high-end
keynote speakers – Lord Mark Price
(former Minister of State for Trade and
Investment and former Managing
Director of Waitrose) and Jonathan
Warburton (Chairman of Warburtons)
– the new Enterprise Zone and the
Bright Ideas Ambassador Programme,
the event clearly underlines what
great shape both the industry and
the Association are in. However, it’s
important to be forward-thinking
and we are continuing to look at
new ways to attract more quality
visitors through the door from various
industry sectors.
Aside from the show, we’re also
delivering important training in areas
such as GDPR, cyber security and
mental health and wellbeing – see
p10 for details of how to register if
you haven’t done so already. We are
also pleased to welcome three new
staff members: Andy Fitzsimons
(Communications Manager), Sharon
Mason (Membership Executive) and
Alex Pengelly (IT Support Engineer),
who will help to drive the Association
through a period of fiscal change in
the advent of Brexit.
With over 530 members, we’re
as big, strong and supportive of our
membership as we’ve ever been.
So, whether you’re exhibiting at
this year’s show for the first or 30th
occasion, make time to walk around
the hall, as there will undoubtedly be
business for you.
www.ppmashow.co.uk
View from
the top
Authenticity and innovation,
the bread and butter of
sustainable business
By Jonathan Warburton – Chairman, Warburtons
When my shopkeeping forefathers,
Thomas and Ellen Warburton, first started
baking bread during a slump in the
grocery market, they had no idea their
business would eventually become the
nation’s favourite bakery brand. That was
over 140 years ago and today we are
actively managed by the fifth generation
of Warburtons, so we must be doing
something right!
I’m frequently asked how we have
maintained this success over such a
long period, and the answer is simple:
it’s because we instil an authentic
culture and clear set of values across
our entire operation. Warburtons is a
family business, and family values sit at
the heart of everything we do. From the
products we make, to the way we treat
our people and the role we play in our
local communities, our understanding of
the British family guides the way we do
business.
Secondly, we have a laser-like focus
on doing one thing and doing it really
well. Above everything else, we make the
best quality, freshest, baked products that
consumers enjoy. It’s simple really.
But how do we safeguard the
business in the coming years and not
just rely on our past? Consumer tastes
are changing at an ever faster rate and
we need to stay ahead of them. One of
the luxuries of being a family business is
our ability to make decisions for the long
term; meaning we’ve been able invest
significantly over the past 15 years in
new technologies that allow us to adapt
to these changes. This investment has
given us a reputation for driving growth
through constant innovation and it’s
something of which I’m extremely proud.
After all, diversification is crucial to our
future success.
We know, however, that businesses
are never stationary; they either go
backwards or forwards. Successes of the
past are great, but we are acutely aware of
the dangers of complacency. If Warburtons
wants to be around for the next 140 years,
we need to continue to be brave by driving
category growth with game-changing new
products, while continuing to deliver the
staple classics that families up and down
the country know and love. We can only do
that if we keep the needs of British families
at our heart.
Hear Jonathan’s keynote
speech at the PPMA Show 2018
Don’t miss Jonathan Warburton’s
keynote address on ‘How to build a long
term sustainable business and be the
best of the best’.
2pm, Wednesday 26 September,
PPMA Show – NEC, Birmingham.
3 www.ppma.co.uk