Just like Julius Caesar’s mate Cassius, yon Jem Collins has the lean and hungry look of a man on a mission to make his mark in business and in life. Six months ago, he set up in shop under the banner ‘Brands In Distribution’ and began his BID for success. We met up in Stockport this week, to discuss how life was treating him and his ambitious start-up, writes Ian Reynolds-Young.
‘I’m ahead of where I thought I’d be’, he begins. ‘It’s been hard work – there’s a lot to do when you’re on your own – but it feels like a real business now. There’s no shortage of brands and no shortage of people who either want to understand how to get distribution or deliver on growth ambitions through distribution that they already have in the vending industry.’
So, what are the credentials of the Big Fella from Northants? ‘I worked with Coca Cola for 18 years’, Jem Collins says, ‘always around vending. I actually started by filling can machines in the operated Coke business, to get a foot in the door at entry level. Then, I worked with wholesalers and independents ,before I ended up back in vending. At that time, Coke had a vending business of its own, then they identified an opportunity to be working with third parties and that’s where they employed me. To begin with, mine was a project role, but it ended up as a permanent position.
‘I was a Key Account Manager and my job was to look both national companies – back in old money, that meant Bunzl, Autobar and Selecta- and regionals. Buying groups such as AVS and Cover also came under my remit, alongside wholesalers such as Automatic Retailing and Blakemore. So it was, if you like, end-to-end management of the operated market. I did that job for nine years and I was known in the company as ‘The Vending Guy’.
So there can’t be many people in the business that he doesn’t know? Jem smiles: ‘Vending is an industry that I really enjoy working in, it’s full of good people and it’s a very social environment. I don’t think that the frustrations that I had at Coke were any different to those felt by anyone who has spent a long time working for a big company in the corporate world. At times it feels like you are slow to react to meet with the changing needs of the market and your customers. I’d seen many changes during my time at Coke, but I always managed to swerve the shake-ups and stay doing what I was doing.’ But in December 2017, that changed…
‘To be honest, I said to myself last year, that this year would be my final one at Coke. But when they called me in to talk about a re-organisation that would merge my role with another, I decided that the time was right for me to leave the company.’
Jem Collins wanted to stay in vending and it crossed his mind that he might enjoy working for an operator, in a small company environment where, finally, he’d get some autonomy and be trusted with the responsibility of making some real decisions. However, it also occurred to him that he could start his own thing…
‘I’ve seen a lot of things change in recent years and where once it was all about the big brands, in my opinion that’s changing, because consumer preferences and consumer needs are changing. Operators needs are also changing, investment in equipment and technology is essential to the future proofing of their businesses. They are looking for fresh ideas and new thinking, most importantly brands and products that excite their customers and consumers whilst delivering on rate of sale, cash margins and profit’, Jem says. ‘Lots and lots of new brands were coming along and gaining traction and distribution and I thought: ‘do you know what? There could be an opportunity for me to represent brands that are new to market, or maybe in the market but not making any headway.’
But then, fate stepped in and Jem’s decision was, more or less, made for him. ‘I was introduced to a Spanish coffee roaster and ingredients manufacturer called Laqtia’, Jem says. ‘They do well in Spain and the rest of Europe, but they’d never cracked the UK. They’d never had a UK based employee: they used to send somebody over but it doesn’t work as well as having an in Country representative.
It was a great opportunity for me to take on a top-quality, new to market, competitively priced brand that has both a branded range but also own label capabilities. Although my experience was in soft drinks, I quickly came to realise the growing importance of coffee for vending operators. It’s high value, big volume market and having taken time to access it, it felt like there were opportunities to gain a foothold in the market.’
It was all the encouragement Jem needed to set himself up as a sales agent, to lead with hot drinks, yes; but with a vision to build a portfolio of products across all of the categories. That vision soon began to take shape. In quick succession, Jem added Muscle Moose, Froosh Smoothies, Nix and Kix and nibnibs biscuit to his roster. ‘It feels like a great start, I’ve found my new venture completely reinvigorating. It’s hard work but very rewarding. I’m very grateful to my clients and customers, both existing and prospective for giving me the opportunity to support them to deliver their growth ambitions.’
If Delboy had been with us in that Stockport hotel lobby, no doubt he’d have said to him, ‘Jem my boy, the world is your lobster’.
Time had flowed swiftly through the hourglass and faced with at least three hours of tortuous M6 south, and with the rather pressing deadline of a World Cup semi final featuring the Three Lions looming, we called ‘time’ on our chat and said our ‘ta’ras’.
He may be six feet five, but that’s not the only reason you’ll find yourself looking up to Jem Collins He comes across as an entrepreneur who’s confident he’s in pole position to benefit from the trends that are setting the pace in modern vending. Watch this space for new, exciting brands and ideas, coming soon to a vending operator near you.
Jem Collins
Jem Collins
Jem Collins
