The best Christmas gift we received this year was loyalty
What a year! Whilst having a few days to pause over the festive season (and a household at various stages of COVID that meant household imprisonment) I had a chance to examine and evaluate DB Foods' performance, both for Christmas and 2021. Not only was I delighted with figures that exceeded expectation, but I got a chance to digest the feedback from customers who took time out of their busiest times of year to thank us for the support we have given them.
We have had one of the best Christmas periods since DB Foods began 30 years ago. Whilst it would be easy to put this success down to the euphoria of people having a relatively normal Christmas compared to the year before, the messages and phone calls from our customers clearly show we earned it.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, during adjustments as a result of Brexit and throughout the rollercoaster of restrictions causing rises and falls in demand from various sectors, the one thing that has remained constant is DB Foods' commitment to Customer Service. From meeting butchers at half-way points across the country to accommodate extra deliveries, to getting hold of stock to provide as ordered, our success this Christmas was a culmination of 365 days of effort and delivery.
We know our fundamental reason for being able to deliver. Delivery on product, delivery on time and delivery without fuss or complication. We had to adapt our systems, overcome obstacles and remedy a few issues, but we did it quietly, efficiently and never gave into the temptation to bother customers with tales of woe. Why would they care? They had issues with their own businesses and needed our support.
Our 'Support Your Local Butcher' campaign, free posters for display and Christmas T-shirt celebrations, as well as new ranges of meat, sundries and even environmentally-friendly packaging and bags have been deliberate and signals to our customers that we are listening, responding and caring about what they want, need and find helpful.
I have to give a shout out to the incredible efforts of my fellow Directors – George who, as Sales Director, has kept pace with customers and fed it back internally; Stuart whose market knowledge and experience has been invaluable (as well as seen him become the face of our DB Select range) and, most of all, Max who, as Operations Director, has not only kept the show on the road (literally) but kept an international network efficient, effective and successful. The talents of these three individuals have combined to create something extraordinary and I am very proud to work with them.
So, the best Christmas gift we received this year was loyalty, both from staff and our customers. I have written before on my admiration and aspiration for the reputation of reliability held by Amazon and, in our own way, I feel we have lived up to that. The doors never closed, the deliveries never got cancelled and, as a result, our promises mean something.
And we are not stopping. Quite the reverse! The past couple of years has been to build a foundation for a new chapter and whilst we can enjoy the immediate fruits of our labour, there is more to come. We are going to be taking an even closer look at the Customer Journey in 2022 and finding ways to improve and illustrate the work we do.
So, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has worked so hard with and for us and we cannot wait to build on what we have already achieved.
Gary Smith
CEO
