| 25 Covid roller coaster ride Sue Russell Wellington food and hospitality sector provider Gilmours has bounced back from a Covid slump and now employs 10% more staff. Wellington: Gilmours Wellington REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Matt & Jo Humphrey have been leading and evolving Gilmours Wellington since buying the independently owned food and hospitality sector provider in 2016. While the business is part of the wider Foodstuffs organisation, Matt and Jo are responsible for Gilmours Wellington’s day to day operations. And reflecting back on the past two-plus years in the world of Covid-19 and subsequent strains, Matt describes the journey as a real roller coaster. “Our core supply customers are cafés, restaurants and the like so we were definitely impacted in terms of who we found ourselves able to sell product to. It caused us to think outside the square a little and take up opportunities that presented, as an essential business.” Also supplying product to schools, universities, rest-homes and places such as The Interislander meant that there was some continuum of normal business. “We turned the business a little though to off-set the closure of the hospitality sector by working with Kapura to support them put together food parcels for MSD. We were part of helping to feed Wellington and it meant that all our team remained fully employed which is something Jo and I were particularly happy about.” Looking back now he says overall the business bounced back well and today, Gilmours Wellington actually employs 10% more people than pre-Covid. Engaging with the hospitality sector runs deeper than simply supplying product too, as Matt explains. “Our team work as though they are in hospitality, where service is paramount. We treat our customers as they treat their customers. We want our team to be engaged in helping us find the best ways to conduct business and we’re welcoming of their input.” An example of the quality of service Matt is proud of can be seen, he says, in the level of care his drivers direct toward their clients. He describes it as a feeling of ‘ownership’ by the drivers to their particular customers. “They just own the customer relationship to the point where they really care, and think about how we can provide the best possible service.” We also have an amazing ‘pick’ team who get to know their customers very well and what they usually order. If they sense something has been left off an order that would normally be included, the pickers will check up on this to ensure each customer receives everything they need. Matt says the most valuable role he plays is to be a supportive employer; to give the team the room to be flexible as circumstances demand. “We have long-standing customers; we’re not actively looking for new business but rather ensuring our existing customers are provided with everything we can supply in a timely and efficient manner, thus enabling them to grow their own businesses.” While Matt is full-time engaged in the business, Jo, an architect, fulfils important part-time roles, including working with HR and on special projects. Supplying merchants involved in ‘Burger Wellington’, the biggest food event in New Zealand, timed to boost the food sector during a time when often people choose to stay at home, is one project Gilmours is proud to be associated with. “Helping support a project that breathes life back into a sector that traditionally struggles through the winter months here is a really worthwhile thing. It’s a real shot in the arm for our customers.” Professional development for staff is key to Gilmours Wellington success. He and Jo and their team of department managers put a lot of time and effort into providing staff with opportunities to thrive in their work, by building their skill-sets and enabling them to progress within the company. “We want our team to feel really engaged in the business and to want to stay with us for many years. Enabling professional growth is the key to this. We definitely prefer to promote from within.” findex.co.nz Every story is unique. Our job is to help make yours one of the classics. 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