Page 4 - September 2020 Inform

John’s Overview
Welcome to the latest edition of News- bites. I hope you and your loved
ones are safe & well and enjoyed a somewhat strange summer.
Whilst some elements of life are thankfully returning to normal as lockdown conditions ease, sadly most of our summer holiday plans will have been disrupted by Covid-19. I hope that everyone was able to take a well-deserved break of some form over the past few weeks. Firstly,
as it’s extremely important for our own
wellbeing that we get the opportunity to take time away from work to refresh our minds and recharge the batteries and secondly, in this year of all years, you’ve bloody well-earned it!
In any circumstances, our first half results can be seen as fantastic, with sales +26% versus budget at expected margin levels and further sizeable reductions in our working capital; the fact they were delivered against a backdrop of unprecedented levels of change and uncertainty means they must be considered as outstanding. Yes, whilst we have undoubtedly benefitted from consumer dynamics working in our favour as a result of Covid-19, with more people shopping locally, it is only our efforts over the previous months
in securing additional distribution and building strong customer relationships that has allowed us to take advantage of these circumstances. I don’t underestimate or take for granted the sheer hard work, resilience and manifestation of our SPIRIT values that each and every one
of you has shown on a daily basis over the past few months to deliver these outputs, so I want to say well done & thank you and let you know you make me proud to be the leader of this business.
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