CASE STUDIES
Client Name: The Vegilantes
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UK Market Entry Strategy – start up
- Category and shopper marketing strategic approach
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The Vegilantes is the brainchild of a serial entrepreneur, who knew there to be a gap in the market for a range of chef inspired, handmade, protein packed, plant based frozen foods which would be developed with taste and flavour top of mind, producing “restaurant quality” meals suitable to be served to the family at home. The aim is to stand for independence and being part of shaking up the future of the food industry for good.
Yet this was also to be about building a social community of like-minded people, who had a determination through their own values to join as a collective “force for good” and become part of a food revolution - looking after each other in a crazy world and acting like a “rebel with a cause”; a modern-day food hero with a transparent mask on a good food crusade!
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Making protein good, by making good protein. To satisfy the clear need and market opportunity to be part of helping to transform the nations diet towards a planet and people friendly position - by focusing upon a range of healthy products which offer the right protein intake levels by rebalancing the mix and including more plant proteins to add a real benefit by reducing animal protein in our food choices no matter if you an omnivore, vegetarian or vegan. This is not just about protein though, as the aim is to pack the range with less fat, and more fibre and elements such as iron – using the best ingredients and staying 100% natural by adding nothing artificial.
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With the national target set to become net zero by 2050 (if not by 2030), and with food a critical element in this ambition, The Vegilantes dream is to continue to reset the bar in tasty plant-based foods, and reach their target market of growing health conscious, sustainably minded citizens, with a keen eye and taste palette which is uncompromising when it comes to food. Their aim was to be “Protein provocateurs”, and start a taste revolution.
As the UK food market is dominated by a few “Goliaths”, The Vegilantes wanted to approach it by winning hearts, minds, and ultimately the overall battle! With growth coming from premiumisation, plus a renewed focus upon ethical and “free from” sectors, being a challenger brand was going to be about knowing and talking to your customers in the right places.
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With category expansion possible from all age groups adopting a flexitarian diet, the task was to support gaining traction across the right distribution channels by helping to build the brand story and the category approach within frozen; as part of the brand activation to support with the build a website, and gain followers across social media to support the awareness and traction to purchase through a meaningful campaign.
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With a simple operating model keeping the approach lean, agile, scalable yet profitable, the aim was to build a category story which would take shelf space from the larger corporations, and introduce the range of meat, chicken and dairy alternatives to a cross section of retailers.
The main platform targets for the social campaign were Facebook, and Instagram, where we targeted key influencers who were known supporters of plant-based foods. The brand launched just 2 months ahead of what became a national lockdown in response to the global outbreak of Covid, offering its own challenges to many businesses. The brand launch campaign reflected this into an opportunity centered around “National Food Heroes”
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A full category marketing plan for the branded range with key highlights around category growth opportunities through a targeted marketing activation calendar to attract prospects utilising the POEM approach – incorporating a comprehensive PR and consumer activation plan primed around specific social media and retailer media portfolio options.
Gained exclusive national listings within Morrisons and Dunnes.
Client Name: BV Dairy (First Milk)
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Provided expert fact-finding, analytical and decision-support services for a “Make or Buy” decision for a significant new investment.
Our approach used a balance of People, Planet and Profit considerations to find the best outcome for all stakeholders.
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In 2024, BV Dairy became a part of First Milk, a regenerative farmer-owned dairy cooperative and a Certified B Corp.
BV Dairy manufactures a range of added value dairy products including cheese, creams and yogurts all made using milk sourced from farms within 30 miles of the dairy in Shaftesbury.
BV Dairy supplies premium dairy products to food manufacturers, food service chains and contract caterers as well as providing contract manufacturing services helping its brand partners to bring exciting new products to the retail market.
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To complement existing on- and off-site resources and to bring our skills, knowledge and experience to accelerate the decision-making on a complex investment case, considering criteria broader than traditional capital project financial metrics.
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Developing a high utilisation, complex packing operation to best meet the needs of brand-holder and retail customers without sacrificing the people, planet and profit impact on other stakeholders.
The project itself had many unknowns and inter-relationships.
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First understand the market context working from the shelf-back, identify interdependencies and competing priorities
Then use project management tools and techniques to establish a clear project brief and agree measures of success for time, quality and cost.
Complete a comprehensive risk assessment of the project incorporating people, planet and profit considerations to identify potential controls and residual risks.
Work with potential equipment suppliers to develop a prospective capital solution and consider its feasibility as part of a physical master plan for the packing operation. Quantify the total costs of change for the capital project, including the investment and operating impacts.
Identify an alternative solution using service providers to meet the same project deliverables and evaluate the consequences of the alternative on the project outcome.
Communicate, engage and foster collaboration between multiple stakeholders to reach a shared decision on a preferred approach from the options available and then progress the project to factory acceptance trial.
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In this case, the non-capital solution provided a quicker and less-disruptive way to deliver innovation to the shelf whilst still retaining the option for a future capital solution should conditions change.
Client Name: Local’s Own
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Business “Startup” Sales & Marketing Plan for the launch of an entrepreneur’s new concept
- Situational Analysis (including supplier & customer analysis, competitor review, target value chain, SWOT)
- Collaborative development of Eco-Social Business Plan canvas
- Grant funding for New Business launch
- Design of Marketing MIx
- Sales & Marketing Plan for first ninety days
- Informal coaching support for duration of the plan
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Liam Childs is the entrepreneur behind Locals Own. He has lived in Dorset all his life and in the last few years he has seen how some of his friends working in the hospitality sector had been badly affected during the pandemic. With his own small service business and as someone who likes to support the local economy, he wanted to help local producers keen to sell their wares.
“I aim to become the one stop shop for local regional brands. I could see that all the venues are stuck with big brands supplying your normal kind of beverages so that you get the same drinks everywhere you go. To be different a venue would have to seek out local drinks themselves while the brand would have to do a lot of work to reach potential customers.”
Liam’s vision was to build a Dorset-based business sourcing locally produced alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and supplying to hotels, restaurants, pubs and bars in the South West.
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To launch a new business to capitalise on the post-pandemic goodwill towards eating and drinking locally.
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How to provide value to suppliers and customers alike in a way that differentiates Locals Own from other distributors.
Deliver a start-up business plan for the first ninety days of the business launch covering all aspects of the marketing mix.
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The project kicked off with bid-writing support to access local grant funding to support launch the business. We ran a series of collaborative sessions with Liam to develop a business plan canvas that highlighted the main pains and gains in the value chain and how Local’s Own could use these to build a unique value proposition.
Together we established a target marketing mix and a ninety-day activity plan to quickly establish critical mass. As part of our involvement, we went on to provide informal virtual and IRL coaching support for the duration of the plan.
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Locals Own offers 15 South West alcoholic and non-alcoholic brands to HORECA customers around Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole including drinks from Dorset names such as BH1 Gin, Bride Valley, Dorset Ginger, Dorset Nectar and Piddle Brewery. To raise awareness, Locals Own was present at local festivals and featured in the press.
Client Name: Tache Crafts
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Growth Strategy (as a Service)
Good Governance (including social and ethical trade route map)
Business Planning (including funding deck)
Operations Strategy (including make or buy evaluations for sourcing and fulfilment activities)
Organisation Development Plan (including review of existing and required capabilities)
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Tache Crafts is a ten-year old greetings card business founded by two young creatives, starting on their kitchen table and growing to a mainstay of retailers like John Lewis and T K Maxx.
Since then Tache has branched out into gifts and stationery, and licensing always keeping its design heritage and style, and the owners have ambitious plans for international growth.
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The owners want to put in place the building blocks for future growth and to balance working on the business strategy at the same time as working in the heart of the creative process.
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Add your skills, knowledge and experience to our enthusiasm to steer us towards the next phase for Tache and help us gather the resources that we need to succeed.
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Whilst the first question posed was recruitment, that ended up being the final deliverable. In between, our Strategy as a Service approach had to navigate short term funding needs and the practicalities of international sourcing before turning to a coherent business plan and funding deck with shareholder buy-in to new fit for the future organisation structure.
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Measured leadership interventions to progress change at the same time as practical hands-on executional support to fill resource gaps.
Structured decision-making for some thorny business issues.
Clarity of direction enabling communication of strategy to future funders.
A step forward in ethical and social performance.
Client Name: Heart & Soul Studio
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Growth Strategy
● Situational Analysis (including internal analysis, market review and research, SWOT)
● Key Opportunities and Objectives (including segmentation and sizing, routes to market)
● Category Approach
● Organisation Development Plan (including review of existing and required capabilities)
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Heart and Soul are a family business with its roots in Celebration Crackers, a business with a forty-year heritage making Christmas Crackers.
The business has a reputation for quality and service and offers a bespoke design service for its premium customers. However, the core business is strongly seasonal with finite demand and pressure on margins as retailers open direct supply chains from the Far East.
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The owners wanted to move beyond their core and needed clarity through a robust strategy to steer the right team to success
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Whilst the pandemic had prompted the business to swap to working from home, it was also an opportunity to move to new premises ready for a return to office working.
The brief was to help with a post-pandemic reset that would grow the business and reduce reliance on its historic core.
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Together the Maia team facilitated the owners in a strategic review of their business that led to a three month action plan across all business functions:
● Restructured the leadership team and recruited new members
● Established a year-round innovation and creative process with new resource
● Put in place business continuity plan and navigated the “Suez” container crisis
● Started to build a year-round business based on sales category knowledge
● Managed the transition from Working from Home to a new hybrid solution
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● Extended year-round product range into stationery & gifting
● Reshored artisan production to Dorset
● Prepped to regain JLP Waitrose from 2023
Client Name: Plegium
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Market Entry Strategy
- Situational Analysis - including market research and analysis, competitor review, target market research, SWOT.
- Key Opportunities and Objectives - including segmentation and sizing, target persona, route to market.
- Category Approach and role of brand and range - focusing upon opportunities and barriers to entry, key brand priorities and the story for innovation.
- Strategic Brand Plan - including “where to play” and “how to win” and brand tactics into delivery.
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Plegium is a Swedish Tech startup founded by two innovative fathers Carl Lungi and Henrik Frisk, who were looking into how to offer their children greater personal protection as they reached teenage years and became more independent. As they searched the market for options, it became obvious there was a true gap, with nothing suitable to meet todays’ lifestyle needs.
Now one of Europe’s fastest growing smart personal safety companies, they have developed a range of unique personal safety devices consisting of six products with varying features and price points, and a choice of colours. The principal product has five key features which essentially differentiates it from the known competition, and places it in the premium end of the marketplace. The product has good reviews and achieves higher ratings from purchasers/users, recognising the quality standards of Swedish technology and engineering.
The Plegium team has been rapidly scaling the business in their homeland through physical and online stores, as well as geographically expanding their footprint into Europe (primarily Germany and Italy) and America.
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Having established a strong foothold in parts of Europe and the U.S. market for their product portfolio, Plegium have their sights set towards other regions across the globe as potential territories to introduce the principal range.
Whilst sales have tentatively started through online platforms in the British market - initially Amazon.com, and soon after adding Amazon.co.uk - the founders wanted to understand the opportunity in the U.K. for their brand and products, and how they might best approach a phased market entry considering the well-developed retail market and our traditional approach to policing by consent
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To draft a UK business plan and commercial approach centred around defining a new category and brand story to establish and grow Plegium’s share of the UK market for Personal Safety/Protection devices both on and offline, working alongside the momentum already in motion through Amazon.
From Insights available, build a foundation strategy which will guide on “size of prize” and to guide upon “where to play” and “how to win”. Using the strategic approach, to lay out a high-level brand (sales and marketing) plan, to enable a successful UK launch - offering a category selling story, and a brand positioning to gain a firm footing in this territory as well as establish the brand and ensure it becomes well known for all the right reasons.
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Self-protection is of utmost importance to people in the UK; however, it tends to be a reactive consideration when something tragic occurs. The market for “looking after yourself” primarily out of home remains untapped in Britain.
The time is right for someone to lead this and create value in the sector and market by educating and empowering people to look after themselves and their families by equipping them with knowledge and the right products.
There is a real opportunity to make this a proactive considered purchase through the development of a new category, giving visibility, awareness and access to a range of product choices to a wide audience who have a need around safety and security.
The Plegium innovation through technology has been driven by today’s customer needs, and the product features need to be defined as true benefits to get the pull through from end users, and shoppers. The U.K. looks a great opportunity for the brand (67m population), with product designs aligning to the UK legislation around self-protection.
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Once our objectives and deliverables were clear, the initial discovery phase entailed combining strong inputs through desktop data searches and analysis, whilst completing a bespoke piece of market research which produced insights to discover the opportunities and barriers which would need to be overcome by the business as we structured the early stages of the strategic plan. The SWOT was extensive, yet key themes really began to stand out to drive focus behind the key growth strategies, and a really clear segmentation strategy emerged for laser targeting.
Through the market development review and value chain analysis the key question centred around the best way to invest resources to get the right margin results to build the optimum routes to market across the classic 4P matrix, and more importantly the sequence in which to roll this out for the organisation in a completely new marketplace.
A clear online and digital commercial plan emerged for the first phase, including both B2B and B2C opportunities including strong partnership options to reach the ultimate shopper and consumer.
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Repositioning of the product online for e-commerce opportunities, driven by insights
Supporting the extension of distribution to attract more sales across range.
Building capability to recruit first sales colleague for UK market.
Client Name: Not disclosed
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Mentoring and coaching to facilitate a change of ownership in a family run small business
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This established business-to-business distributor has exclusive distribution rights for leading international brands and is a well known name in its market. However after twenty years, and with retirement in sight, it felt like time for the founder to move on.
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An entertainment business with a reputation based on premium products and great customer service.
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Explore the possibility of a change in ownership between generations, and facilitate the smooth transition in leadership, whilst keeping the business on track.
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Navigating the real life tensions of a family business to find a mutually agreeable outcome at the very same time that the business was knocked off course by an unexpected side-swipe from a big supplier.
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A successful management buy out welcomed by suppliers, employees and customers at the same time as 10% year on year growth in branded sales.
“this transaction could not have happened at the speed it did without keeping focus on the goal and flexing style to get a good outcome for two quite different stakeholders”