AF Blakemore “energised” for further growth

Year-end results trigger positivity as company invests in ambitious future plans

A year of encouraging growth has left AF Blakemore and Son “energised” and “ready” for future challenges.

The business, which owns a series of subsidiaries including Country Range Group member Blakemore Foodservice, has posted its financial results for the year ending 30 April – recording a 19.5% pre-tax profit.

And with sales for the food and drink distributor’s continuing operations rising by 4.6% to £1.1bn across the past 12 months, Chairman Peter Blakemore is in a positive mood about what’s next.

“This has been a tremendous performance and I’d like to thank all our staff who have worked so hard to help us achieve these results,” said Blakemore.

“We have continued to achieve positive growth across all channels and have carried out major reviews into all areas of our business to make sure we have the right strategies in place.”

Wind the clock back 14 months and the outlook wasn’t so bright, with the last of Blakemore Wholesale’s depots closing following struggles within the division.

On the back of that, AF Blakemore made major investments in upgrading and buying new stores, improving logistics and developing its IT systems.

And last week, it was revealed that the business had also signed a pre-agreement on a new distribution facility in Bedford (pictured above) amid its ambitious growth plans.

“This is another exciting development for AF Blakemore and reflects the confidence we feel in the company’s ability to grow in the markets it operates in,” added Blakemore.

“As a business, we are feeling energised and ready to take advantage of all the opportunities available in the rapidly changing market.”

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