Caterforce, the Macclesfield, Cheshire, England-based foodservice buying and marketing group, has hired experienced buyers Peter Saunders and Matthew Leyland to support head office operations. They bring extensive experience to the company, having worked in the foodservice industry for a combined 40 years. Saunders joins from Unitas, while Leyland came on board from The Co-operative Group and Morrisons.
Working with key stakeholders, the new hires will deliver the buying plan for Caterforce’s wholesale members and will be implementing and developing category plans to support member growth.
“I’m extremely happy to welcome Peter and Matthew aboard,” said Gary Mullineux, interim managing director at Caterforce. “To be able to attract two individuals with their level of experience is testament to the work we’re doing. Our members will benefit significantly from their expertise and we look forward to working with them.”
Meanwhile, the company has also announced the appointment of Clare Greensmith as financial controller and Hayley Bowker as an assistant buyer.
“We’re passionate about investing in people, and this is an extremely exciting time for the business,” said Mullineux. “We want to continue to build on our recent successes and I have no doubt that our new personnel will help us achieve that.”
Caterforce has experienced significant growth over the past 12 months. At its recent biennial conference the company announced a 9.1% increase in turnover for 2019 and predicted revenue in excess of £600 million by 2021.
Founded in 1991, Caterforce is one of the biggest foodservice buying and marketing consortiums in the UK. It sources frozen, chilled, grocery and other products from a wide range of leading suppliers and manufacturers to support seven leading independent foodservice wholesalers.
