Online premium meat retailer Farmison & Co held an event in Ripon on Saturday to mark its shop fully re-opening.

Cut by Farmison & Co is now serving customers from 9am to 2pm every Saturday at Bondgate Green, as well as from 9am to 5pm on Wednesday to Friday. It also provides a click and collect service Monday to Saturday.

In-house butcher Jeff Baker held a barbecue and special offers were available to celebrate the firm’s rapid revival.

Farmison ceased trading in April when the firm collapsed into administration.

A consortium led by ex-Asda chief executive Andy Clarke and Chilli Marketing owner Gareth Whittle acquired the business and began a phased reopening last month.

Mr Whittle and chief operating officer Michelle Kennedy were at the Ripon site on Saturday to celebrate the comeback.

Gareth Whittle and Michelle Kennedy outside Cut on Saturday

Mr Whittle said the first aim was to stabilise then focus on increasing revenue from e-commerce as well as wholesale and retail channels. He added:

“Michelle and the team have moved mountains to get us back open.

“We are working with pretty much all the key suppliers, who have been incredibly supportive.”

Mr Whittle said the company’s mission to provide better meat sourced sustainably in the UK persuaded him to get involved, adding:

“I honestly believe in what we are doing and am excited about our plans.”

Staff recruitment

Ms Kennedy, who has been with Farmison since it was founded in 2011, said the company had started trading online within eight days of being rescued and had been building up the business since.

It now has 42 staff, many of whom worked for the firm pre-administration, and expected to be up to 59 this year.

Ms Kennedy said Mr Clarke and Mr Whittle brought fresh strategic thinking and strong business connections to Farmison. She added:

“It’s amazing to have them resurrecting the business. Gareth is a marketeer and has huge expertise in that area and Andy is a retailer with a wealth of business he can provide to the business.”

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Ripon online butcher Farmison & Co is to start selling some items again today.

The company, which was acquired from administration last month by a consortium led by ex-Asda chief executive Andy Clarke, will sell a selection of heritage breeds here.

More ranges will be brought back to the website over the weeks ahead.

The company’s Ripon shop at Bondgate Green and click-and-collect location, ‘Cut by Farmison’, will also re-open this week.

Farmison is in the process of recruiting 50 staff and re-engaging suppliers after it ceased trading on April 6 and entered administration.

Now, after a certification inspection at its Ripon headquarters, the Food Standards Agency has given the company the green light to restart operations.

It has obtained commitments from farming partners in the north of England, that they will continue to supply Farmison with the grass-fed, heritage breed meat that is at the heart of the firm’s customer promise to ‘eat better meat’.

The sustainable online meat retailer was acquired last week by a consortium led by Mr Clarke and Chilli Marketing’s Gareth Whittle, Christian Barton and Kieron Barton.

Initial ranges available to customers online include 32-day dry-aged rib steak, handmade hot dogs and Farmison & Co’s signature cut dry aged sirloin steak alongside pork, chicken and lamb.

Executive chairman Mr Clarke said:

“I want to give a massive thank you to the Farmison team who’ve acted with incredible speed to bring the business back to life – and of course to our farmers across Yorkshire and the north, who are determined to support the business get back on its feet.

“We’ve been absolutely bowled over by the messages of support from colleagues, customers and suppliers since taking ownership of the business.

“It will be some weeks yet before we have our full ranges back online, but we thank each and every one of the customers who’ve sent us those messages of encouragement and support over the past few weeks.  It means the world to the whole Farmison team.”

Farmison & Co sells online directly to customers across the UK, and through wholesale channels such as Harrods, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Michelin star restaurants.

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Shortly before Christmas, Andy Clarke heard rumours all was not well at Ripon firm Farmison & Co.

Having spent a career in retail, including six years as chief executive of Asda, Mr Clarke was aware of the company’s mission to ‘eat better meat’ and innovative business model, which had attracted clients including Harrods and Fortnum & Mason.

He was approached about getting involved but was busy at the time. He adds:

“The phone went quiet for a while and then there was a bit more noise about the company being in a challenging position. When it went into administration, I decided to look in more detail.”

Farmison entered administration on April 6 — Maundy Thursday. The ensuing Easter drama ended, appropriately, with a resurrection when a consortium spearheaded by Mr Clarke acquired the business from the administrators just over two weeks later.

It prompted a collective sigh of relief in Ripon, where Farmison was one of the city’s largest and most feted employers, with almost 100 staff and numerous awards.

Farmison will stay at Bondgate Green

Some former staff, who lost their jobs when administration happened, are being rehired and new ones are being sought as Farmison prepares to recommence trading within weeks.

What possessed Mr Clarke to get involved as executive chairman? He says:

“I’ve lived in Yorkshire most of my life and I’ve always been keen to support Yorkshire businesses. I’ve a strong affection for local and Yorkshire. I was chair of Leeds Bradford Airport for nearly five years.

“When I saw what I believed to be a great brand at risk of disappearing I felt I had to have a look to see if I could help. At that point I didn’t know what help was. It soon became clear I had to find a partner and invest in it.”

From then, events moved rapidly.

“It became a race to see who was going to rescue the business. In the final throw of the dice, we were given approval by the administrators who felt our bid to take forward the business and protect jobs was the strongest.”

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The four-strong consortium also includes Gareth Whittle, the founder and former managing director of Chilli Marketing. But not Farmison co-founder John Pallagi, who was heavily involved in the race to save the company until the last minute. Mr Clarke says:

“We discussed with John what role he might play. We are still talking to John – there could be a role for him in future. He developed a great brand and his vision to ‘eat better meat’ is what attracted me.”

Mr Clarke says the immediate challenges are to refocus, manage the cost base and stabilise the business to bring it back to growth. No drastic changes to its business model are planned. He says:

“It’s fundamentally a good business that ran out of petrol because the cost base was too high.

“We are primarily a B to C supplier. That’s the primary purpose of the business and I would suggest that will be retained.”

Mr Clarke, who lives in East Yorkshire, says he’s had “brilliant support” from suppliers even though Farmison’s administration left some being owed money. He says:

“It’s sad that these businesses have lost out because of the previous company and the previous management team. We will develop a stronger business together.”

He reaffirmed Farmison’s commitment to its Bondgate Green site in Ripon by saying the consortium has assured the landlord it intends to stay. He says:

“It’s a great site. We are at the heart of the community.”

‘Eat better meat’ is Farmison’s strapline

Mr Clarke, who is also chair of Menzies Distribution and holds other senior roles, will divide his time at Farmison with his other business ventures.

Chief operating officer Michelle Kennedy is in charge of day-to-day operations, supported by commercial director Andy Cavanna and finance manager Liam Duggan.

“I add value through my experience but when it comes down to it it’s about the capability of the team to work together and get this business back to where it’s meant to be.”

Even with his long experience in retail, however, he says the Farmison acquisition has been “quite a journey”.

“I’ve driven the Ripon Road on more occasions than ever before. It’s been great. I’ve loved it. It’s a very exciting business to be involved in and we hope we can make it successful again for Ripon.”

Ripon firm Farmison & Co has begun hiring staff as it prepares to start trading again.

Employees at the premium meat retailer were made redundant when Farmison entered administration on April 6.

But a consortium led by former Asda chief executive Andy Clarke and Chilli Marketing founder Gareth Whittle acquired the company from the administrators on Monday.

Mr Clarke, who has been appointed executive chairman, told the Stray Ferret yesterday everything was moving “very quickly” and he hoped trading would recommence in weeks rather than months.

He said the new company had so far hired five staff, who all previously worked for Farmison.

They include Michelle Kennedy, who as chief operating officer will be in charge of day-to-day operations, commercial director Andy Cavanna and finance manager Liam Duggan.

Mr Clarke said Farmison employed almost 100 people at its peak and the ambition was to get back to that number but right now he could not give a precise figure on how many roles will be created. He said:

“A recruitment drive is underway and we have started contacting some old colleagues.

“I think it was a good business that ran itself out of petrol. Basically the cost base was too high.

“Fundamentally the model was good.”

Look out for a fuller interview with Mr Clarke this weekend.

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The Ripon-based online meat retailer Farmison & Co is to re-commence trading.

A consortium led by Andy Clarke, the former chief executive of Asda, today acquired the company from administration for an undisclosed sum.

John Pallagi who co-founded the business with Lee Simmons in 2011, is not listed as a consortium member.

The consortium said in a statement:

“Over the course of the coming weeks, the consortium intends to recommence operations at Farmison’s production facility in Ripon and return the business to being an important employer in the city.

“The consortium will work with the whole leadership team to firstly stabilise the company after a difficult year and then devise and implement a growth strategy.”

It is not known how many staff will be hired but a spokesman said a “substantial” number of positions will be created.

Mr Clarke, who was chief executive officer of Leeds-based Asda from 2010-16 will become executive chairman of Farmison.

Acknowledging the vision of Mr Pallagi, he said:

“While unable to navigate the economic difficulties of the last 12 months, John’s ‘eat better meat’ mission that sits at the heart of Farmison’s business, is one we believe has significant potential for growth.

“And as a retailer brought up on a farm in Yorkshire, I know how producers across the region appreciated Farmison’s commitment to the best producers who could provide the highest quality meat to customers.

“That’s why I’m very excited about Farmison’s prospects.  We have an opportunity to scale this business and further develop both its direct-to-consumer and wholesale plans, building on the ethos and values of what Farmison stands for.”

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But Mr Clarke added:

“Nevertheless, there is much work to do to get the business back on its feet and trading again — not least re-engaging with Farmison’s important network of farmers across the region and re-employing colleagues”.

“In the short-term, our goal is to bring financial stability to the business, and we’re committed to re-energising Farmison’s long-term vision so it can take advantage of the growth opportunities that are undoubtedly available to it.”

In the course of the coming weeks, the consortium expects to re-open Farmison’s website.

Farmison sells online directly to customers across the UK, and through wholesale channels such as Harrods, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Michelin star restaurants.

Other consortium members include former Farmison board member Gareth Whittle, founder and former managing director of Chilli Marketing.

Chilli Marketing’s Christian Barton and Kieron Barton are also involved with the consortium.

Arvindar Jit Singh, joint administrator and partner at FRP Advisory said:

“We are thrilled to have been able to secure a buyer for Farmison who is able to recommence trading and bring jobs back to Ripon.

“There had been significant interest in purchasing the business and assets of Farmison and a number of serious offers had been put forward in recent weeks, but the proposal from the consortium provides the best opportunity of both re-establishing the business and maximising returns to creditors.”