Member Article

Cartwright & Butler invests £100k in sustainable hamper-packing facilities

Cartwright & Butler, a Yorkshire-based specialty food and beverage provider, has invested £100,000 in its hamper-packing facilities and IT systems to further enhance its offering to customers.

The new facilities will significantly boost sustainability as well as easing demand for its much sought after luxury hampers ahead of the festive period.

Investments include packaging benches and a baling machine, which enables the brand to turn cardboard waste into recyclable bale. The new industry leading equipment means its hampers will be packaged using 100 per cent biodegradable paper instead of plastic.

The business’ recent 55 per cent growth in its corporate gifting arm is a key reason for this investment. The improved packing and IT facilities also mean that even higher quantities of bespoke requests can be handled with ease.

And with sixty per cent of the luxury food brand’s sales made in the last four months of the year, the hamper-packing facilities will increase production, while enabling a threefold increase in capacity for the upcoming festive period.

The brand was founded in 1981, with the rights to the business being acquired by the Arnett family in 2010. Since then, Cartwright & Butler has rapidly risen to become a globally recognised brand, with a turnover target of £9.3 million for 2019.

In addition to listings in prestigious outlets like Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty of London and Harvey Nichols, the brand currently exports to 43 countries worldwide, including to luxury overseas retailers like David Jones of Sydney and Farmers of New Zealand.

Since 2012, their employee count has increased from 4 to 35. The new hamper-packing facilities, which can accommodate up to 60 people, will also enable Cartwright & Butler to further expand their operations team for the upcoming Christmas period.

Nigel Arnett, Butler Service Concierge Manager at Cartwright & Butler, said: “The decision to invest in our packaging facilities supports our growing business needs and has been carefully planned to ensure that we offer the best possible service to our customers.

“We’re passionate about tackling the ongoing plastic waste issues surrounding the food industry, and our investment into sustainable materials is testament to our ongoing ambition to leave a positive impact on our planet, which future generations will inherit.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Katie Rattigan .