General
The recent earthquakes in Christchurch and surrounds have been very challenging for our staff living there and for our clients based there such as Lahmajou (Giannis) Pavillion Foods (Gluten Free Breads), Mill Orchard Fruit Juice and Anzco Foods. We are all thankful no one was killed and with only a few serious injuries it really has been a miracle and testament to the building codes in New Zealand and the timing of the “big one” that Christchurch survived as it did.

Many of our customers were badly affected and personally I would like to recognise the efforts of Megan Maddigan, Leanne Baird, Keryn Craddock and Tracy Whear – our Christchurch staff – who were out and around the stores helping restock shelves and clear up the mess soon after the major quake hit.  The disaster recovery efforts of our supermarket and foodservice customers was impressive to say the least, and our clients who worked what seemed 24 hours a day for much of the first week to get back to business and maintain supply was just as impressive.

The rest of the country looked on in disbelief and one can only imagine the stress of living through the aftershocks, trying to regain some semblance of normality and go to work as well as repair the damage on so many fronts.

At Rothford we have worked hard to do our bit to keep things going as well as is possible for our clients and customers and I think it is fair to say that the Christchurch quake has had a profound affect on the whole country in many different ways.   This has been quite as wake up call for many – ourselves included – and we have been reviewing our own procedures so that in the event of an unforseen disaster occurring Rothfords can maintain business and get back to normal as soon as is possible.

Staff News
As mentioned I am extremely proud of the efforts of our Christchurch based team who definitely went the extra mile, but also our teams all around the country that have been very supportive and understanding during this period and it is very pleasing to see people from Whangarei to Invercargill doing what they could to work through any issues that occurred.

Rothfords has increased the number of staff by over 70% over the past three months as we invest in better systems and technology and take a direct focus on increasing our representation at store level and improve our expertise in the foodservice and administration areas.

Our resident Irish ambassador – Martina Harrington – who has been one of the people at our Wellington office over the past year and in constant contact with reps, clients and customers is now about to leave for home.   Martina will be sadly missed by many, but the team in the office will continue in their normal excellent way.

One of the things that I have noticed since we started employing our HEART values is the calibre of people we are now attracting to the organisation and the new ideas and skills they bring. I can honestly say that Rothfords now has the very best teams of people around the country we have ever had – and the investment in our clients’ success and the dedication to getting it right for our customers is more than encouraging.

Great teamwork is a result of great people.

Highlights
Obviously getting through the Canterbury Quakes has been a highlight.

Also the continued success of the new IT platform we have implemented with the introduction of PDA’s through our solutions partner IT Link has been an overwhelming success.  Well done Denise Cosgrove who managed this project and to our Key Reps who commenced professionally from day one and just keep getting better.

Also we have just signed two new clients – Regal Salmon and La Baguette (aka NZ King Salmon Ltd and The Natural Food Company respectively).  These two new partners will be commencing in October and we look forward to assisting them in developing over the coming years.

Spring is here and with that the general mood of the nation seems to improve, so we look forward to a smooth and prosperous lead up to Christmas.

All the best and more news to come next month.

Tony Trilford
CEO