News: Food Circle turns one

An award-winning Rotherham-based online supermarket is celebrating its first birthday having delivered over 1,000 orders to happy customers across the UK.

Food Circle is the first online UK-based retailer offering surplus "in-date" healthy food and drink products, to customers at half the recommended retail price. It was launched by Sheffield Hallam history graduate James Barthorpe and his business partner Paul Simpson in January 2018 with support from the Rotherham Investment & Development Office (RiDO) and other local support organisations.

The co-founders attribute their success to a number of factors, but not least the fact that customers can buy products at half the recommended retail price, whilst diverting food from landfill - cutting down on the UK's huge food waste problem.

James Barthorpe, co-founder of Food Circle, said: "The past year has been a busy one for us, we've moved into new premises twice due to expansion, got a new delivery partner, expanded our product range and have built up a very loyal customer base."

The loyalty that James speaks of is in no way down to luck, but stems from the company's personal approach to their customers, quick turnaround times and branded products.

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Access through social media, combined with the ease of ordering through their e-commerce website, offers customers a simple way to purchase a range of quality, healthy products.

Paul Simpson, co-founder of Food Circle, said: "We've invested heavily in social media on Facebook and other platforms and this has really paid dividends, especially in the fitness and sports nutrition markets where we’ve seen a boom in sales from gym goers and other sports people."

The company has recently moved to RiDO's Matrix@Dinnington Business Centre, allowing for continued growth of the business, which aims to more than double orders over the course of 2019.

Andrew Klinkenberg, key account manager at RiDO, said: "James and Paul have achieved a huge amount in their first year, and should be proud of their achievements. This is in no small part down to their skills and experience, but also their willingness to engage support throughout the Sheffield city region to constantly evolve the business."

The enterprise has been backed by UK Steel Enterprise, taken part in the Y-Accelerator programme and won the Hallam Enterprise Award.

Food Circle website

Images: Food Circle

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News: Food Circle moves to new Rotherham premises

A Rotherham-based online supermarket which is tackling the issue of food waste head on has moved into a new premises in Dinnington following rapid expansion fuelled by a national marketing campaign which saw the business more than double its customer base within a matter of weeks.

Food Circle is the first online UK-based retailer offering surplus "in-date" healthy food and drink products, to customers at half the recommended retail price. It was launched by Sheffield Hallam history graduate James Barthorpe and his business partner Paul Simpson in January 2018.

Previously based at RiDO's Century Business Centre in Manvers, the company has now made the move to larger premises at Matrix Business Centre, another centre operated by RiDO. The new location is ideally situated in terms of distribution, making it easier to ship stock to customers across the nation as well as having more room to store the increasing product range.

As part of an ambitious growth strategy, they rolled out a comprehensive online and social media marketing campaign with the help of funding from a UK Steel Enterprise (UKSE) Kickstart grant in September; securing a raft of new clientele and solidifying Food Circle Supermarket's presence as the only retailer of its kind in the UK.

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Growth for the firm also follows a spate of recognition for its innovative approach to reducing the volume of produce that ends up in landfill unnecessarily, having recently won the Hallam Enterprise Award.

James Barthorpe, co-founder of Food Circle Supermarket, said: "We've been in contact with UK Steel Enterprise since we pitched for their investment as part of the Y-Accelerator programme in March 2018. Since then, the team have been very pro-active in offering their advice and support which has added a lot of value to our business.

"We were also given access to a UKSE Kickstart grant of £500 which we put towards our first ever proactive marketing campaign which has helped us to reach more new customers and grow our business significantly over the last couple of months."

Alan Stanley of UKSE, added: "I'm delighted that James and Paul's hard work and dedication has been recognised in their nomination for a Sheffield Business Award and would like to congratulate them on behalf of everyone at UKSE for their Hallam Enterprise Award win.

"It's excellent to see that the Kickstart grant has been of great help to Food Circle Supermarket, allowing them to reach out to their target market and promote the importance of diverting surplus food away from landfill."

UKSE is a subsidiary of Tata Steel tasked with assisting the economic regeneration of communities affected by changes in the steel industry.

Food Circle website
UKSE website

Images: UKSE

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News: Food Circle bags Hallam enterprise award

Food Circe, a start-up business set up in Rotherham to help people eat more healthily for less, enjoyed a taste of success after scooping the Sheffield Hallam University Enterprise award.

Hallam history graduate James Barthorpe and his business partner Paul Simpson launched Food Circle in January 2018. It is based at RiDO's Century Business Centre in Manvers.

Appalled at the quantity of good quality food and drink products that were routinely going to waste, James and Paul decided to create Food Circle, the first online UK-based retailer offering surplus "in-date" healthy food and drink products, to customers at half the recommended retail price.

The Hallam Enterprise Awards take place every year, and provides an opportunity for Hallam student and graduate start-ups to showcase their businesses and share their achievements with an audience and judging panel of fellow entrepreneurs and innovators from the business and higher education communities.

There was £10,000 of prize money up for grabs on the night, donated by Santander Universities (winner and runners-up awards) and QUICKPLAY (audience vote for the best business pitch). QUICKPLAY was co-founded by two Hallam graduates, Allen Holland and Will Parsons. As graduate recipients of the Enterprise Challenge Award back in 2006, they were keen to support the next generation of Hallam entrepreneurs.

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On winning the top prize of £5,000 to support the business, the Food Circle founders expressed their delight and thanked their supporters, including the customers and the brands they work with.

In addition to the winner, there were two runners-up prizes: The Happiness Bootcamp, a social enterprise created by psychology student, Amiee Browes, which helps people combat their mental health issues through the power of physical exercise and Fula Flavour, created by Hawa Soh, a business and human resource management graduate. Fula Flavour has created a range of Djembe chilli sauces inspired by her culinary childhood experiences from her country of origin in Guinea, West Africa.

The prize for the best pitch was awarded to computer science graduate and international break-dance specialist Torrell Euan. Torrell has combined his two passions to create Woosh! - an electronicjudging system that can be used for competitive break-dancing at all levels of competition.

Caroline Nouvellon, manager of the enterprise team at Sheffield Hallam University, said: "This is the second Hallam Enterprise Awards we have hosted and it has already become the highlight in the enterprise team's calendar.

"This awards event provides our talented students and graduates with an opportunity to showcase their businesses, entrepreneurial flair and professionalism. Their passion, drive and belief in their businesses combined with their resilience when meeting the challenges and set-backs they have all encountered, has made them worthy and deserving finalists.

"I am confident that all of their ventures have the potential for success and sustainability in the years ahead."

Food Circle website
Hallam Enterprise website

Images: SHU

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