Soggy summer is pieman’s dream
WIGAN-based piemaker Poole’s Pies is one of the few firms celebrating the miserable British summer as it has led to an increase in sales.
According to managing director Neil Court-Johnson, the firm’s year-on-year sales are up by 11%, which he argues is due to customers ditching the barbecues and salad bowls in favour of pies.
He said: “The warmer months tend to be the pie industry’s quiet period, but with Britain continuing to face one of its worst ever summers this year, sales are at an all-time high as people prefer to tuck into warm, comforting and familiar dishes.”
He added that Waitrose has also reported a sharp increase in demand for winter food like pies and soups.
Court-Johnson led a buy-out of Poole’s from previous owner Dave Whelan four months ago in a deal which has seen the DW Sports owner provide loans of up to £5m to the new management team on the proviso that the company continues to grow employment in the town.
Court-Johnson said: “There is much to be positive about, and we’re definitely heading in the right direction.
“My aim is to establish Poole’s as the innovative, quality brand within the industry, and the way we are heading, I see us dominating the north of England and developing Poole’s into a national brand.”
