Website in a week that saved 150 jobs
The Coronavirus lockdown left them with warehouses brimming with food and beverages at their 10 locations in Kent, Essex, and Bedfordshire. With the food service sector coming to a standstill, restaurants, hotels, and schools began canceling their orders, threatening to waste a £400,000 stockpile of food and putting 150 jobs at risk due to this significant loss. In urgent need of a solution, they reached out to us, requesting the seemingly impossible task of launching a website within a week to start selling to the consumer market—aimed at preserving their stockpile and maintaining employment. While the website was under construction, Watts Farms was busy organizing delivery logistics, repurposing their vans and staff for home deliveries instead of commercial ones. The website integrated their e-commerce and logistics, enabling complete automation. Just a month after fearing that their family business might go under, they successfully processed 14,000 orders through the website. They not only saved the initial £400,000 stockpile but also received additional orders as demand increased. During the lockdown, online sales became their exclusive market channel until their commercial operations could resume, but they intend to maintain both markets in their future business strategy. We have also assisted Watts Farms with their digital marketing, ongoing developments, and various ad-hoc tasks.