On 12th September, gifts cataloguer The Handpicked Collection
launched a spin-off website called The Handpicked Foodstore, a
new addition designed to offer a food service and extend the
company’s offering to corporate gifts.
Having looked at new areas where the company could extend the
Handpicked brand, “luxury food seemed an obvious
fit”, says managing director Natasha Cubitt. The Handpicked
Collection spent 12 months searching for the right opportunity
and after being introduced to MacGilvray, a mail order seller of
smoked salmon spotted its chance to acquire a smaller business
and present it to the Handpicked customer base. The Handpicked
Collection acquired MacGilvray in June 2012 for an undisclosed
sum keeping the company’s core team and Whitstable base.
Aware of the sensitivities of rebranding, Cubitt says she doesn’t
want to lose the confidence of existing MacGilvray customers so
Handpicked is undertaking “a softly, softly transition and
cobranded approach” to migrating customers to the new
offering.
Catch of the day
The buyout allows The Handpicked Collection to sell a range of
fine foods via its new site, including smoked salmon, trout and
duck, pates, luxury cakes, condiments and sauces as well as gift
boxes ranging from approximately £20 to £100.
Another benefit of acquiring an established business is that
Handpicked can tap into its corporate gifts experience,
presenting an opportunity for The Handpicked Collection to reach
new customers with a business-to-business proposition.
Adding food to the offering also promotes the idea of
“increasing self-purchase throughout the year”, says
Cubitt. The Handpicked Collection is seasonal, relying on set
events in the calendar such as Christmas, Mother’s Day and
Father’s Day for its major promotional pushes. The Handpicked
Foodstore moves away from that to encourage year-round
buying.
The new Handpicked Foodstore uses the same model as The
Handpicked Collection website, with every product being tested
and endorsed by a panel of expert foodies, including chefs and
critics.
It will also produce a catalogue, as MacGilvray used to, but this
will become more lifestyle-led with tips, recipes and content
from the Handpicked panel.
Natasha Cubitt expects turnover to grow by about 50 per cent this
year, to approximately £2.2 million. At this stage, however,
it is too early to tell how much the new venture would add to
sales, she says. It will “contribute nicely”, says
Cubitt, but The Handpicked Collection will remain the primary
brand.
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