A major Scottish food and drink wholesaler has bolstered its top team and is aiming to recruit more staff ahead of a push to reach record turnover.
Dunns Food and Drinks, the Blantyre-based wholesaler to the hospitality trade, has unveiled a series of key hires, including its first female transport manager, as it targets lifting turnover to £50 million in 2025, when it will celebrate its 150th anniversary.
The historic business which was founded by Joseph Dunn has remained family-owned and operated, and last year achieved a turnover of £37.5m, and is forecasting a £43m turnover to September this year.
To achieve its 16% growth target in two years’ time, the company is set to double down on food and increase its coverage across Scotland, with Aberdeen and its surrounding areas a particular focus.
Jim Rowan, managing director of Dunns Food and Drinks, said: “We are very proud of our history, but also very excited for our future. While we’ll continue to double down and invest in providing our customers, many of whom have been with us for generations, we are also focused on expanding our reach in a number of key areas, particularly in and around Aberdeen where we see huge opportunity for an independent Scottish wholesaler."
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He continued: "With some key acquisitions, we have levelled up our drinks offering, while we also have major plans to continue to invest in our team, technology, sustainability and distribution.
“It’s been one challenge after another these last few years, but the hospitality sector has remained resilient. Scotland continues to have a strong appetite for great food and drink. We hope we’ve played a small part in that by continuing to offer the very best products as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.”
The firm has recently made a number of key senior hires, including Linda Queen as customer service manager, Mhairi Shaw Hawkins as drinks stock controller and category buyer, and Rosalind Gibson as group marketing manager.
David Prow has been appointed as commercial director of Dunns Food and Drinks’ Alexander Wines division, which is headed up by new managing director Nathan Rowan.
Now, the wholesaler plans to further expand its team of 116 to more than 130, with a specific focus on its sales and buying departments.
The firm has also appointed its first female transport manager with Taylor Jeffrey, who joined as a trainee administration assistant straight from school when she was 16, now taking charge of Dunns’ biggest department, and looking after the distribution team and the fleet.
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Julie Dunn, the company’s operations director, said: “Traditionally, this was a very male-dominated industry, and we are invested in providing opportunities that will increase gender equality and diversity. We also plan to continue to create opportunities for our team members to grow within the organisation.
“I’m extremely proud that this company, which has been in our family for 150 years, continues to have such a positive impact on Scotland’s hospitality sector and for the local community in Blantyre by providing jobs.
"The steps we’re taking now are to ensure Dunns continues to have this positive impact for the next 150 years."
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She also said: “While our company and the sector has remained resilient, the climate we operate in is ever-changing. We will continue to be dynamic in our approach to meet these challenges and opportunities.
“Our business has grown on the back of real behaviour change - 75% of our business is now online, whereas pre-Covid it was just 35%. We are seeing more out-of-town customers as hospitality appears to be less centralised in city centres.”
The company recently announced a £1.5m investment in a range of sustainability measures including a £1m CO2 freezer, solar panels, and a fleet of electric vehicles.
Founded in 1875 as a soft drinks firm, Dunns Food and Drinks has since grown to become one of Scotland’s leading delivery wholesalers with a portfolio of food, beers, wines and spirits from around the world, and supplying around 2,000 customers across Scotland.
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