New leadership team has big plans for the future
THERE have been some major changes at the top of CJ Lang with, a new team in place and fired up to make major improvements to the business.
New chief executive Colin McLean, along with finance director Craig Tedford and chairman Jim Hepburn were all appointed in 2018, and the trio were quick to announce their intentions to build a more attractive offer for retailers.
Recognising that CJ Lang may have “lost its way” in recent years, McLean said the whole team has been hard at work building a new strategy for the business that’s fit for the future — and it’s already paying off.
“The good news is we’re now growing sales in independents and company stores for the first time in many years.
“We’re in positive growth and that’s a long time coming. It’s coming through driving sales, driving products, getting the trading team working with the Spar team to really drive customers back to stores,” he said.
Part of the new strategy at CJ Lang involves engaging more with retailers, with McLean and Tedford both having hopped on a CJ Lang lorry early doors to see just how the delivery operation works — and gain some insight into the challenges stores face.
For the next phase, McLean has food to go in his sights. Last year CJ Lang scooped up Stephen Brown from Scotmid to head up its food to go division, and McLean said he’s excited for the future.
“There’s an exciting opportunity around food to go. We’ve tried it in the past and perhaps for various reasons it hasn’t quite worked, but now with Stephen Brown on board and the team making trips to Ireland, pushing to see what good looks like, we know this is what should be working towards as a retailer and a wholesaler,” he said.
Food to go isn’t the only area where retailers should expect to see CJ Lang improve its offer in the months ahead. McLean said that an open door policy is now in place for both retailers and suppliers, with the potential for the wholesaler to expand its offer with quality Scottish produce.
“We should be good at Scottish products and I should be able to get my customers the best local Scottish.
“The message to suppliers is we want you to come and talk to us. We want the message out there that the door is open,” he said.
