April 28, 2021
In March A.F. Blakemore appointed Sarah Deakin to the new role of Head of Fresh.
In her new role, Sarah will be responsible for assisting the development of A.F. Blakemore’s strategic plan for fresh foods.
Working collaboratively with support functions across the business, she will be engaging with colleagues to implement the strategic plan within retail stores.
Whilst initially this appointment will focus on Blakemore Retail, the role, in time, will also support Blakemore Trade Partners colleagues to help independent retailers grow and develop their fresh food operations and drive fresh participation profitably.
We caught up with Sarah to find out more about her role and his history with AFB:
I worked for the business for 23 years this year. The roles I have done are Group Trading Manager, Group Replenishment Buyer, BR Marketing Manager, BR Operations Support Manager, BR Central Ordering Manager and now Head of Fresh for Blakemore Retail.
I oversee all fresh departments within Blakemore Retail. These include Subway, Greggs, dailyDeli, Bargain Bites, Produce, Chilled, Flowers, County Bridge Meat and Philpotts.
Fresh is very much at the forefront of Blakemore Retail’s future strategy. It is a significant element, enabling us to enhance our profitability and deliver a sustainable future for our business.
Our vision is to have industry-leading “food for now” and “food for later” fresh solutions that focus on key trends and innovation, whilst satisfying our customers’ wants and needs.
The main areas of focus currently are the reopening of Philpotts following Covid, the relaunch of dailyDeli and the launch of our summer produce and flower ranges. This is alongside the delivery of our New Era Stores project, which I am also project managing.
I am married to AFB Logistics Manager Marc Deakin and we have two amazing children, Jess, 13, and Charlie, 10. You could say I have the business to thank for my wonderful family!
When we’re not at work we like to spend as much time as possible at our caravan in Mid Wales.
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