John Bee, Director of White Space, talks to Just-food.com on how food manufacturers can weather the economic downturn

21 April 2009

John Bee director of White Space talks to Just-Food.com about how the economic downturn will affect food manufactures and the possible strategies companies can implement to ride out or even profit from the recession.

Areas of focus include:

Supply chain: Locking down the supply chain is crucial; identifying back-up suppliers should key suppliers go under must be a major priority.

Cost reduction: Offering longer term, broader deals to suppliers when contracts come up for renewal for maximum discount and making cut backs in the workforce.

New sales and marketing approach: Shift in focus from marketing to sales, looking into new media opportunities to reach out to consumers.

Consolidation: Well established food companies should take advantage of possible acquisitions and the opportunity to poach a competitor’s contract.

John Bee comments:

“The food industry is facing up to some interesting times right now, with brand and portfolio management now increasingly important.  We are happy to support Just Food’s work understanding the impact of the downturn on the sector, sharing our knowledge and experience.  We have recently written a cross-industry white paper on the impact of the economic downturn and it is interesting to see that others are making findings similar to our own”

Just-food.com is a leading online news service provider for the global food industry: www.just-food.com

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