AWARD-winning food-to-go manufacturer Around Noon has secured much-coveted M&S own-label supplier status for more than 30 of its products in the retailer's stores around Ireland.
It comes just weeks after the Newry firm completed the acquisition of The Soho Sandwich Company in London, bringing its headcount to more than 800.
And it follows other key investments, including the purchase of new equipment, upgrades to its facilities, and the recruitment of a new quality manager and new product development manager.
The rigorous M&S approval process benchmarks companies across the food supply chain and evaluates their food safety, quality and culture against the retailer’s high own label manufacturing standards.
The accreditation sees Around Noon supply a range of own label products to M&S stores on the island of Ireland, increasing the range of the supermarket retailer’s sandwich offering.
It’s the continuation of an existing partnership that began last year when Around Noon secured a contract to supply sandwiches from its Twelve Handmade in County Down range into stores as part of a deal worth £3.5m in retail sales.
Around Noon sales director Philip Morgan said: “We are driven to produce quality food from the finest ingredients and always with local provenance in mind. The initial response to our Twelve range of sandwiches across the M&S store network in Ireland was one of resounding success, which we’re pleased to build upon further now as an own label supplier.
“The retailer has one of the finest reputations for quality with stringent qualification criteria for its suppliers. As such, we’re proud that M&S recognises our shared emphasis on quality and is trusting our expertise and market knowledge to inform and shape the future of its food-to-go offering on the island of Ireland.”
Eddie Murphy, M&S trading director for Ireland & Northern Ireland, said: “We are committed to maintaining the high standards our customers expect and this represents another step in the transformation of our food business in Ireland. In order to deliver on this promise we look to build new partnerships with trusted suppliers that share our values.
“We have been hugely impressed by the high standards that underscore Around Noon’s dedication to ingredient sourcing, product development and manufacturing, and we’re very pleased to welcome them into the M&S family.”
