Searcys looks to the future through major supply chain efficiency review

CATERER AND operator, Searcy’s has appointed leading procurement consultants Prestige Purchasing to undertake a value chain review. With recent reports predicting food inflation to be 4.2 per cent at the end of the year, the aim is to mitigate overall procurement costs without affecting quality. Prestige Purchasing will examine the complete chain from farm to plate to find value efficiencies that exceed costs associated with food inflation.

 

The value chain review evaluates the business’ operations to find ways to improve its processes. Sourcing, marketing and business strategies are all considered alongside menu development, logistics and staffing to find ways to improve savings without impeding quality.

 

From August onwards, Searcys will work with the procurement specialists on a major review of key parts of the business across all of its sites and operations. Specific areas of focus include menu planning and rationalisation, signature product sourcing and a ‘Make or Buy Review’.

 

Recommendations, including working with suppliers, organising tastings for new dishes and performance monitoring and reporting based on this review will be managed and implemented in partnership with Prestige Purchasing,

 

Speaking about the review, Doug Tetley, CEO, comments, “Quality means everything to us. But with food and drink prices constantly on the rise, we need to look at ways to offset these increases. Rather than taking a ‘slash and burn’ approach to squeezing suppliers and affecting the quality of what we produce, we would rather look within our own business. By identifying changes to the supply chain with Prestige Purchasing, we can create valuable efficiencies while maintaining the high standards that Searcy’s stands for”.

 

  • Footprint Forum will convene in December to debate integrity in the foodservice supply chain. Dates and venue to be confirmed.