Our team of data analysts constantly monitor the market, purchasing history and contracted prices ensuring our members are always receiving the best value for money, staying one step ahead of price movements. But we do so much more than just that... Our team of Procurement Managers work closely with members to really understand their businesses, so much so that we are often referred to as an extension of our member’s own team.

We work with our members to really understand their business objectives; we provide operational advice, share best practices and help in any way possible. We’re experienced operators and many of our Procurement Managers have first-hand experience working in the leisure and hospitality industry. We assist our members to find solutions, build partnerships and support their business growth.

Following a review meeting with long-standing Regency member, Superbowl UK, we recently facilitated two very different supplier exploration and development days providing them with solutions to two of their challenges…

Challenge 1 – Sourcing a new non-food supplier

The first challenge involved issues with an incumbent non-food supplier, including increasing pricing and the absence of any account management. Regency Procurement Manager, Anna Matthews discussed this with the team at Superbowl UK, reviewed the businesses’ non-food purchasing history and went on to recommend an exploration day with Regency supplier, Nisbets.

Superbowl UK Director, Mark Quaintance and Health and Safety Officer, Keith Pepperell met with Anna at Nisbets National Catering Equipment Centre where they were introduced to Regency's dedicated Account Manager, Jill Carter. Jill spent the day with Mark, Keith and Anna discussing the product ranges available to them, the services provided as well as spending some time in the development kitchen with the Nisbets Development Chef, Chris John who demonstrated some innovative 'accelerated cooking' options, and suggested equipment for the new kitchens planned in some of the Superbowl UK sites.

Following the day-long meeting, Superbowl UK were confident that Nisbets offered them a suitable solution and they now plan to consolidate their non-food purchasing working with Nisbets as their primary supplier, taking advantage of the exclusive pricing only available to Regency members, as well as Nisbet’s support, advice and account management services.

Challenge 2 – Introducing innovative, quick-serve dishes to menus

With ongoing staffing challenges, increasing prices and changing consumer demands, Mark and the team at Superbowl UK were keen to explore some new, innovative menu items to create a real point of difference at their bowling and entertainment venues.

Anna created a detailed brief in conjunction with Local Area Sales Manager Lesley Campbell, and arranged a food development day with Britain’s leading foodservice provider Brakes, hosted by Sector Development Chef, Zoe Gill.

The session focused on lane-sharers, quick-serve menu items, and great tasting desserts… all with a fun and super-creative twist! In this interactive day, the Brakes team created several new menu ideas and concepts from their extensive range including some unique and thought-provoking sweet and savoury waffle concepts, alongside a range of vegan suggestions to meet increasing consumer demand for non-meat alternatives. The Brakes team were able to provide guidance and advice to evolve the food offering and cater for all tastes.

The team at Superbowl UK will now use Anna's support and their learnings from the day to refresh the menus across the Superbowl UK sites, adding some memorable, low cost-to-serve dishes delivering great customer experiences and strong profit margins.   

Superbowl UK Director, Mark Quaintance comments:

"We have an ongoing requirement for a reliable and proactive supplier for our heavy equipment for our new site openings, including full kitchen fit-outs, plus we have a more urgent need to consolidate the procurement of our disposables and cleaning equipment to gain better control, pricing and increased and improved account management. "

"Our day at Nisbets has been hugely productive and Jill, Chris and the team have shared a huge amount of information about their products and servicers, making us confident that Anna's recommendation (of Nisbets) is the right supply partner for our business, providing a 'one-stop-shop' for our equipment and non-food items."

Many thanks to the teams at Nisbets and Brakes for hosting these successful exploration days.

Take a look at the video and photos from the two days below: