New Group Buying Manager arrives at Caterforce

Caterforce has bolstered its buying division with the appointment of Joanna Halucha from the Country Range Group.

Halucha, who spent nearly six years as a category buyer with Country Range, has joined as group buying manager and replaced Kelly Orme.

The new hire has almost a decade of experience in foodservice and will be focusing on developing Caterforce’s own-brand range, Chefs’ Selections, and providing technical support for the group.

“I’m delighted to welcome Joanna to Caterforce,” said Managing Director Gary Mullineux.

“Joanna has fantastic experience and coming from a buying group means she already understands the set up so can hit the ground running.

“With all the challenges the industry is facing at the moment, it’s a key time for Caterforce and our members and Joanna will not only strengthen our buying team, but also help us to achieve our goal of growing the Chefs’ Selections brand. I have no doubt Joanna will be a great asset to the team and business.”

With so much experience in the sector already, Halucha will be well versed with the challenges facing the foodservice sector currently, but with the Caterforce Group revealing at the end of July they were trading at 77% versus 2019 and tracking against last year’s sales in August, there are signs of encouragement.

“We are seeing some really positive results across the group and I’m working hard with the members to plan for the future and ensure that we emerge stronger,” added Mullineux.

“We know that to come out of the other side, we need to keep adapting and investing in people and technology, and we plan to do just that.”

Caterforce Country Range Group Foodservice Gary Mullineux Joanna Halucha wholesale