Pub food supplier moves to home deliveries in bid to save jobs amid virus outbreak
A food supplier is hoping drastic changes to the business after pubs and restaurants were told to close amid the coronavirus outbreak to save more than 100 jobs.
Walsall wholesaler MKG Food Products Ltd usually supplies produce to hospitality businesses including hotels and organisations such as schools and colleges.
But after Prime Minister Boris Johnson told cafes, pubs and restaurants to close the supplier based, in Westgate, Aldridge, saw orders fall at about the same time that requests from householders took off.
Bosses at the family run business decided to make the most of the new opportunity to extend its customer base.
MKG director Philip Mayling said: "Everyone has seen the run on supermarkets and the shelves being stripped leaving shoppers unable to get items.
"We are normally a business to business operation and since all the pubs have shut we have warehouses with food supplies and no demand.
"It all started a few days ago when relatives and friends began getting requests from other people on social media asking where they can get things from and our name came up.
"Then we started getting phone calls from people ordering goods because they are self-isolating or working from home.
"Within 24 hours we switched to home delivery service. We had to set up payment systems and get organised and put it all in place in a short space of time. Thanks to our hardworking staff who put in some long shifts we were able to get ready quickly.
"Our job as the owners is to keep people employed at a time when the economy could get far worse.
"We only went live with the new service at 5pm on Wednesday and so far with the help of people sharing on social media it's going well. We can deliver within one to two days which is a much lower timescale than some of the supermarkets.
"We're not on social media ourselves, but people can visit our website where there are details on how to contact us by phone or email.
"It's not a lucrative new business that we've set up. It's the same MKG, but it's now all about keeping everything going and making sure people don't go hungry, particularly the elderly."
The company which employs 110 workers was set up in February 1950 by Mr Mayling's grandfather, who initially ran a butchers' in Yardley, Birmingham, before the business expanded eventually moving to Cannock, before relocating to Aldridge.
