Seafood supplier takes a bite out of London

Posted on 3 Jul 2017 by Jonny Williamson

Wolverhampton’s Star Feast Foods is expanding into the capital after investing £200,000 into a new trade counter and wholesale operation.

Seafood Supplier - L to R: Steve Money and Mohammed Khan (both Star Feast Foods).
L to R: Steve Money and Mohammed Khan (both Star Feast Foods).

Star Feast Foods has officially opened a new 3,000 sqft facility near Canary Wharf that aims to provide its fast growing range of products to customers across London.

The company has installed state-of-the-art freezer/chilling technology, invested in two delivery vans, and – following a marketing success in the Midlands – a fully-branded Tuk-Tuk sourced all the way from Pune, India.

Four new jobs have reportedly already been created as part of the expansion plan, which has the potential to deliver up to £3m-worth of new sales over the next 12 months.

Star Feast Foods’ Mohammed Khan explained: “This is a very exciting move for the business and reflects a growing appetite from across the UK for our own sustainable shrimp, as well as other seafood and poultry lines.

“We have always supplied into UK supermarkets and some restaurants in the South East, but felt the time was right to create a dedicated base locally that could meet growing demand and provide a trade counter offer.”

The London opening marks a major period of growth for Star Feast Foods, who has seen its parent Star Agro Marine exceed £9m in turnover barrier for the first time – a 30% increase on the previous year’s sales.

Backed by a marketing campaign and increased production capabilities, the company has been able to secure a string of new contracts with high street retailers and wholesalers, while also enjoying a significant upturn in the number of Asian restaurants looking to use its products in their cooking.

There are also plans in place for the firm to open a third base in the South West, with the possibility of acquiring a complementary business with an already established footprint in the region.

The business is looking to achieve £15m in sales by the end of 2018 and further increase its range of more than 50 different seafood, poultry and dried goods products.