Fine food distributor RH Amar has appointed Justin Burbage to the role of Sales Director.
Burbage joins the company – which distributes some of the UK’s best-loved food brands including Del Monte, Crespo, Kikkoman and Ella’s Kitchen – from Bayer Consumer Healthcare, where he spent almost five years as the company’s UK & Ireland Sales Director.
Prior to that, Burbage – who has spent the whole of his 24-year career in FMCG – was in commercial roles during a seven-year spell at Birds Eye, rising to Grocery Trading Director. He started his career at PepsiCo, where he spent a decade in key sales roles, before moving to Kettle Foods as Head of Impulse.
At RH Amar, Burbage will be tasked with helping the company – which celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2020 – to continue its long track-record of growth. The role will also include helping to develop new sales opportunities for RH Amar’s company-owned brands, including its successful Mary Berry’s Foods sauces and condiments range, and its popular Cooks&Co foodservice and retail ingredients portfolio.
Welcoming Burbage, MD Rob Amar says: “As we embark on our 75th year, Justin joins us at a time in which the distributor model is more relevant than ever.
“From helping Italy’s best-selling brand of tomatoes, Mutti, to carve out a name for itself in UK multiple grocery[1], to creating new opportunities in wholesale and convenience for established grocery brands like Ella’s Kitchen and Kühne[2], we continue to play a key role in building new revenue streams for both brands and retailers.
“Add to that our expertise in helping our foodservice partners – including leading ingredients providers Macphie and Schwartz – to continue to grow in their established channels, and our role as an expert in the distribution of leading brands becomes even more compelling.
“Recruiting the industry’s top talent is vital to the continued success of our business, so we are delighted to welcome someone with Justin’s depth of experience to our senior team.”
Burbage adds: “RH Amar has a fantastic portfolio of brands, a strong and diverse customer base, and a reputation for offering best-in-class customer service and supply, so I am delighted to be joining Rob and the team at this exciting time in the company’s history.”
[1] Mutti is now available in selected Sainsbury’s and Tesco stores throughout the UK
[2] RH Amar has:
- Helped to turn Ella’s Kitchen into the best-selling brand in convenience (IRI 52 w/e 7/9/19) to match its success in multiple grocery
- Turned German pickles brand Kühne into a multi-million-pound sales success within wholesale, convenience and foodservice
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