By Martin Wright, Chief Financial Officer – Bidfood NZ
Bidfood NZ is a full-service food wholesaler supplying the full range of fresh, frozen and ambient food, non-alcoholic beverages and non-food consumables to Kiwi hospitality and foodservice operators. With over 2,200 staff operating from distribution centres and processing facilities in 17 regional locations from Whangarei to Invercargill, Bidfood is proud to be a significant employer of Kiwi’s, not only in urban centres, but also in our regional towns, including Hastings, Nelson, Greymouth and Timaru.
Can you tell us a little more about Bidfood, the customers you serve, and your journey in the industry so far?
Bidfood is part of a global business that supplies food and other kitchen consumables to hospitality and catering customers. We started in New Zealand in 2000 by buying Crean Foodservice and have grown to become New Zealand’s largest Foodservice wholesaler with revenues over $1 billion. Our customers range from small cafes through to large national hotel groups. Basically, any kitchen with a paid chef is our target market.
After attending the recent Workplace Wellbeing CEO Lunch, can you share your thoughts on the importance of employee wellbeing in a modern workplace.
Paying a competitive salary and providing good working conditions are no longer enough to attract or retain employees in a contemporary workplace. Employers need to consider the individual needs of each employee and demonstrate a true commitment to supporting their wellbeing.
How have the needs of your staff and customers changed since Bidfood began operating?
Employees are looking for more opportunities to develop and grow so expect Bidfood to support them on that journey. This may include structured training but could also involve opportunities for work in a different role or team. Employees are hungrier for feedback and recognition.
How did your relationship with the EMA come about, and in what ways, if any, does the EMA support Bidfood to help serve your people?
Bidfood has been a member of the EMA for years and has utilised many of its services including training, advice and advocacy support. The training offered is high quality and cost effective, and to be able to get advice from experts so quickly and easily has been tremendous.
We understand Bidfood has experienced a good growth journey in recent years, with increased staffing and coverage areas, can you tell us a bit more about this?
When Bidfood began in New Zealand, it bought an existing business which operated out of three cities in the North Island. Bidfood now has over 30 locations across the country, providing the only truly national supply network to the foodservice market. As we’ve grown, we ‘e built new warehouse operations in smaller towns as we believe local support of local customers is important.
What impact, if any, has COVID had on your services, team and customers?
Bidfood managed to maintain its service levels throughout the COVID lockdowns thanks to the incredibly hard work of all our employees. The teams had to cope with a barrage of change and new regulations, and we believe we’ve emerged from the pandemic as a much stronger business. Our customers have been hit hard and continue to suffer the legacy impact of extended lockdowns and border restrictions. Many can no longer operate seven days per week and have had to restrict their consumer offer due to labour shortages. We have supported our customers and will continue to help them survive and return to the successful businesses they once were.
Are there any services or products you were supplying pre-COVID that needed to be adapted, or any services that have become a higher priority?
Bidfood supplies a large number of vulnerable people through our supply to the aged care sector, as well as to prisons, the defence forces and healthcare providers. These customers became our absolute highest priority during COVID as any decline in service was simply not an option. We also commenced a new venture, BidHome, where we redeployed our resources to supply consumers with home deliveries. This was completely new to us, and virtually overnight, we established a significant business with thousands of customers throughout New Zealand. This had a very positive impact on our people, who felt they were helping others in a time of need. It also gave many homes access to restaurant quality food, which was handy when cooking and baking became New Zealand’s favourite pastime during the lockdowns.
What does the future look like for Bidfood NZ?
The future is bright and full of possibilities. Hospitality is a growing market as consumers change their eating habits and move towards eating a greater proportion of their meals out of home. Our customers are changing and adapting to the new landscape which is giving us plenty of opportunity to innovate and evolve.
What is the best piece of advice you can give to fellow New Zealand businesses to help them on their journey?
Even in the most challenging environment, there are opportunities to strengthen your business. It’s too easy to focus on bad news, which just creates a spiral of negativity. The best businesses in New Zealand developed new ideas during COVID. They used the disruption to implement changes previously considered impossible, and now have the potential for a more profitable business than would have otherwise been possible.
For more information about the work Bidfood do, please visit – https://www.bidfood.co.nz/
