Truly inspired woman: Perween Warsi
In the third part of our serialisation of Inspiring Women, a collection of stories of outstanding female entrepreneurs, Michelle Rosenberg focuses on Perween Warsi, the founder of one of the UK’s most successful food companies, who was inspired by the need to get better quality Indian food in stores
S&A Foods was literally inspired by a samosa its founder bought from a supermarket in 1986. Appalled at its quality, Perween Warsi saw her chance to make a difference.
The company (named after her sons Sadiq and Abid) now has 750 staff and a turnover of £65m. It supplies major retailers in the UK and has now expanded into Europe. “When I realised it was difficult to buy good-quality Indian food I thought that maybe I could make a difference,” she says.
Her initial approach was direct. She simply prepared some of her own samosas and convinced a local Indian takeaway to try them. They sold well and Warsi began supplying the outlet regularly. Encouraged, she approached other takeaways and local delicatessens, while expanding her range. However, supplying to the local trade was never going to be enough. Her eye was always on the bigger prize: the big retailers.
She began calling supermarkets, persisting until S&A was asked to take part in blind tasting sessions at Asda and Safeway. Her food triumphed over more established food manufacturers, and she received an order. There was, however, one problem.
“When Asda offered me the contract they assumed S&A Foods was a fully fledged food manufacturing business,” she recalls. “At that time I was still making the dishes in my kitchen, so we had to build up the business quickly!”
So Warsi took a gamble. In 1987, S&A Foods joined the Hughes Food Group with the resulting investment injection allowing them to open their first factory in Derby.
“Although at the time it was good for the business to join with Hughes, as it meant we could afford to build a new factory and create 100 extra jobs, I wasn’t in control of the direction the business was going,” she says.
It would come at a cost later, but for now she could begin to fulfill her ambition of supplying supermarkets with her products, something she still does today.
“You need to have something different, unique and better that they currently don’t have to add value to their shelves,” she says.
However, she warns against focusing too heavily on the client and forgetting the people who really buy the food – the customers. “Obviously, the whole of the supply chain is geared up to manage our customers’ needs and requirements,” she says.
She had hit the big time from nowhere, but her initial strategy was to come back to haunt her. In 1990, the Hughes Food Group went into receivership leaving S&A’s future looking bleak. Warsi had to fight for the survival of the business and in the following year, with the support of venture capitalists 3i, she led a management buy-out (MBO).
However, it was 2004 before Warsi regained 100% of S&A. In spite of this setback, the business performed well during the 1990s and is now expanding across Europe.
Alongside a passion for food, Warsi believes strongly in staff development. S&A has an on-site learning centre, where staff can gain work-related qualifications and languages.
Both are important to the success of S&A (there are 23 languages spoken on S&A’s factory floor), but Warsi says it is about more than just work. “It inspires them to reach their potential,” she says, “both in and out of the workplace.”
Her role has changed considerably since starting up. She used to spend most of her time in the factory or seeing customers. Now she’s more focused and has a “very capable management team” around her. However, she is still involved in S&A’s day-to-day running. Her passion for food has not diminished and she still spends time in India researching new flavours and tastes.
“It’s important when you’re developing new dishes to actually speak to people, see what they are eating, and what new ideas are coming through,” she says.
AND THE WINNER IS…
A host of top food honours mark S&A’s success:
¦ Perween Warsi was awarded an MBE in 1997, followed by a CBE in 2002
¦ She also won Woman Entrepreneur of the World Award in 1996, and was given a seat on the Confederation of British Industry’s National Committee in 2002
¦ S&A has been the UK’s fastest-growing independent food manufacturer for five consecutive years
¦ S&A was a finalist in the 1997 Sunday Times Business Awards
Inspiring Women:How Real Women Succeed In Business is out now (£12.99, ISBN 978-1-85458-410-6) www.crimsonpublishing.co.uk
Article from www.growingbusiness.co.uk
| Written by Tandoori Magazine |
| Wednesday, 25 March 2009 10:57 |
| What made you want to start up a food business? I was very weary of the taste and quality of Indian food that was available to the public during the 1970s. I felt that the British public had a wrong perception of Indian food and it needed to be better than it was. So I started cooking from home and supplied local delis and takeaways in my area. S&A Foods have turned out to be a huge success, but how did you overcome the various challenges you must have faced in the course of making the business what it is today? In life and in business there are always obstacles and challenges to overcome. One of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome was when I was starting out. Asda, the supermarket chain gave me my very first big order and yet I was only cooking the food from a domestic kitchen. I thought it was getter to be honest and tell them my situation. They waited patiently and were very supportive until the time I could open my factory. So the business took off from there. How involved are you in the development of the recipes and what is your criteria of a perfect recipe? I am very involved in the development of the recipes and all product lines that S&A create. The criteria of a good recipe is quality ingredients, an authentic way of cooking and consistency. How important is it for you that S&A keeps coming up with new ideas and product lines? It’s at the heart of what we do. Any business has to be creative and we have to keep coming up with new ideas and developments. Besides, we don’t just do Indian food, we also offer Tex Mex, Mediterranean, Chinese, Pan-Asian dishes and our customer base is very loyal. What type of food do you like to eat yourself? Other than Indian, I love Chinese. Had you not gone into the food business, what profession do you think you would have taken up and why? I would have become a psychologist because psychology is about understanding people and as a businesswoman, I love dealing with people. How have you managed to juggle home life with your work commitments? Life is about juggling many balls and trying to catch one. My passion and the support of my husband and my sons, whom I all want to thank, have made me and my business the success it is today. Who would be your ideal dinner guests and why? Barack Obama, to see how he will fulfill all his promises as the new US president. The late Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop. I got to know her briefly and am a great admirer of hers. She had such a strong business ethic. What does it take to run a successful business? Having a vision, passion, sheer determination and a positive attitude. Enthusiasm and choosing the right people to be around you are also important. What advice would you give to any women contemplating starting up a food business, however small or big? Follow your instincts and get the support of your family. Work hard and don’t think that just because you are a woman you are any less effective as a business person. |
Watch this video of Perween talking about her business success:
Posted by Shona Lockhart, 20th June 2009
