Case study: Wiltshire Farm Foods Franchisee Anita Amesbury-Page

Relatively new to the Wiltshire Farm Foods franchise, Anita Amesbury-Page purchased the business in December 2019 with a background in finance. Her previous management experience stood her in good stead to plan ahead and lay the ground-work ahead of the Covid-19 outbreak, conducting interviews from Canada whilst on holiday in preparation for her return to the UK mid-March:

“As an organised individual forward thinking is one of my strengths and I believe this placed me well for the challenges that lay ahead. The business has grown 38.3% in the last 13 weeks and our performance in the Wiltshire Farm Foods Franchise Network has gone from 60th in December 2019 to 2nd as of last week”. 

Achieving this impressive result wasn’t, however, without its challenges. Issues with repairs meant that 3 out of her 7 vehicles weren’t roadworthy. Wiltshire Farm Foods was able to provide them with a new van at the beginning of the pandemic which helped tremendously, but then came the inevitable staff shortages:

“We’ve had many temporary staff in and out of the business during this time. To ensure I protected my team, I instigated a robust interview process which was emailed to candidates prior to them being invited to the premises. We also set standards for the staff on their attention to detail to ensure we could maintain our excellent customer services levels as best as possible.”   

The secret to success during the pandemic, Anita stresses, has been teamwork: “I operate the business as I would like to be treated which is with respect and inclusion where possible for changes and this empowers the team to do well. Making them feel appreciated, with personalised Easter eggs and days off for birthday celebrations, are small gestures which mean a lot. We have had amazing cards from our customers and I’m really proud of my team for stepping up to the plate during this challenging time.”

As the country has been getting to grips with Coronavirus, Wiltshire Farm Foods is making every effort to operate as normal and maintain a high level of service, while doing everything it can to protect its customers. Its drivers have gone above and beyond, in their roles as key workers, to ensure its customers continue to receive meals as regularly as possible.

Their efforts have been placed firmly in the media spotlight with both regional and national opportunities generated by the company’s central public relations team. These include appearances on Good Morning Britain, BBC Radio, BBC3 and Sky News. All of which raise the profile of the brand and increase awareness of how Wiltshire Farm Foods is making a real difference.  

Find out more about the Wiltshire Farm Foods franchise opportunity here.