Rectory Foods takes five new recruits under its wing

Rectory Foods, a leading global supplier of quality poultry, red meat and food ingredients, is spreading its wings as it welcomes five newcomers into its growing team. The new recruits will help to drive the company forwards as it continues to expand in the UK and international markets.

Matthew Armitage joins the team as Divisional Director for the company’s new Food Ingredients department, while Yang Li takes on the role of Asia Pacific Trading Manager and Lynda Turner acts as Logistics Manager. All three will operate out of Rectory Foods’ Worksop site. Darren Fisher has been appointed National Account Manager based at the Holmes Chapel (Cheshire) head office along with Victoria Williams, Technical Manager, based across both sites. All report directly into Charles Woolley, company founder and CEO, and Nick Bowyer, managing director.

The group joins Rectory Foods at its peak. 2009 was its most successful year to date, as it saw a marked uplift in new customers and turnover reached an all-time high of £26million. This is forecast to increase to £30 million by the end of 2010.  

Divisional Director Armitage (age 30) heads up a team of six people in the new dedicated Food Ingredients department. He brings with him five years’ experience from his role as Sales Manager at Kiril Mischeff.  Armitage controls the fresh and frozen fruit, vegetables, seeds and pulses arm of the business and also manages the sourcing and distributing of horse feed and supplements for Rectory Foods’ sub-brand, Equivet Animal Care Products Ltd.

Li heads up the Asia Pacific side of the business, particularly fruit and vegetable imports and exports in China.  Aged 25, Li has a degree in International Trade (BA) as well as an MA in Marketing, equipping him with valuable skills to apply to his new role.

Turner is responsible for the import / export and logistics side of Rectory Foods and has around 15 years experience in logistics management. She will be working closely with all sectors of the business, particularly the new fruit and vegetables division.

Fisher, National Account Manager (age 44), joins the team with 25 years sales experience. He is responsible for Rectory Foods’ new Hot Chicken Company (HCC) range in the food service, wholesale and retail sectors and has succeeded in developing and launching new products, growing sales by 20 per cent to date. He will also oversee Rectory Foods’ packaging design, having previously worked in the packaging industry.

Technical Manager Williams has had several roles within the food industry as QA manager and QA technologist and will be a valuable member of the growing team. She will work across both sites to ensure Rectory Foods’ high standards are maintained both in the UK and overseas.

The five new additions take Rectory Foods’ UK staff total to 29 over its Holmes Chapel and Worksop sites.

Charles Woolley, Founder and CEO says: “This is an exciting time for us, as we are expanding into new areas, while still maintaining our strong position in the poultry industry. We are developing our product portfolio to increase our offering to our customers across the food industry. We welcome the five new team members, who will be an asset to the company and contribute to our future growth.

“Last year was our most successful year to date and we have solid growth plans for 2010 too. Following our partnership with Acura Foods and the expansion into red meats, the new additions to the team will drive the company forwards and build our reputation in the supply and distribution of fruit, vegetables and food ingredients. This year we are building on our position in the poultry sector and are planning further international expansion this year to become a major force in the food industry.”

Established in 1996, Rectory Foods is headquartered in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, with operations throughout the UK, Europe and Asia. It handles the international sourcing, storage and supply of poultry, red meat, fruit and vegetables, and food ingredients to the wholesale, retail and manufacturing sectors.

For details of your local distributor, email info@rectoryfoods.com or call 01477 544 550.

To find out more about Rectory Foods, visit www.rectoryfoods.com.