Consistently delivering high standards and first-class customer service will always bring success – and that’s something wholesale distributor Savage & Whitten has experienced in abundance since the company was restructured in late 2005. Newry based Savage & Whitten formed as a merger between two long-standing Today’s Group members in 2000. Mark Windebank bought into the business just over four years ago and, although a newcomer to the food industry, brought his sales experience from the textiles industry to help original owners Norman Savage and Richard and John Whitten realise their goal of moving the company forward. This has so far yielded a huge increase in turnovermfrom Ł14.5 million in 2005 to Ł30.6m in 2009. In 2005, Mark and the original owners also formed Independent Catering Services (ICS), to supply chilled and dry goods to the catering trade. From humble beginnings in 2005, ICS last year achieved a turnover of Ł10m.

The original owners left Savage & Whitten but have since joined the team again and Managing Director Mark Windebank believes each has now found their niche in the business. “It’s all worked out very well and now we have two successful businesses operating out of Newry,” Mark told Neighbourhood Retailer.

“Everybody is happy it has been successful and long may it continue. The guys are now fulfilling roles they enjoy. “John Whitten looks after sales for the catering business, Richard is semi-retired but it’s useful to be able to draw on his experience when he’s here and Norman is very much involved operationally. We all get on really well and we’ve all found our niche within the company.” With such phenomenal growth in turnover, it was only a matter of time before Savage & Whitten would outgrow its office and warehouse space as the company was already utilising two warehouses off-site. This year, the company moved into a brand new warehouse and office building in Newry’s Carnbane Industrial Estate which means it is ideally located to serve Northern Ireland and the Republic. As a member of the Today’s Group, Savage & Whitten is now in the unique position of offering the burgeoning Today’s symbol in Northern Ireland and has developed a portfolio of 35 stores north and south of the border in the past six months. The catering arm of the business, ICS, is growing too is also moving in to new 26,000 sq ft premises thanks to it’s increase in turnover from supplying 800 customers - including hotels, nursing homes, restaurants and golf clubs. And with Savage & Whitten servicing 1,000 retailers across Ireland, the company’s buying power means it can continue to offer top quality brand value for years to come.