Charles Guilhon

PREMIUM FOODS SOLUTIONS is a French food group with a staff of 650 employees, specialised in the production of fresh and frozen products and their distribution to the foodservice and retail sectors. The group has R&D and industrial expertise in crepes / pancakes, world food, vegetable antipasti and spreads.

As the Export Key Account Manager, I was in charge of :

• managing the relationship with existing international key accounts
• creating and developing relationships with new customers abroad, with a particular focus outside of Europe.

In addition to the export activity, I have been entrusted an historical key account on the domestic market (leading freezer centre).

Most significant achievements :

+ reached the turnover objective in 2021 despite a challenging economic context
+ achieved a 35%-growth in turnover over the 1st half of 2022
+ launched a reference with a new customer for an annual additional turnover of 1M€
+ secured the first own-label listing of the group in Asia, with a leading retailer

SOCRATE offers turnkey and bespoke real estate investment solutions. We operate across several major cities in Europe, helping expatriate clients to find suitable assets on the secondary market, via our expert network.

As a consultant, I provide guidance to the customers I recruit through every stage of their real estate project, from conception to finalization :

• project definition
• asset sourcing and inspections
• administrative follow up (deed, administrative procedures, etc.)
• fitting-out works’ advice and monitoring

Achievements:
+ responsible for €6.6 million worth of investments

PIETERCIL GROUP is an international sales and marketing partner (€300m turnover), distributing historically Fast-Moving Consumer Goods through Mass Retail and other channels, but developing further their own brands and production capacities over recent years. Reporting to the Division Manager at BELIES NV – a daughter company of the group, specialized in the production of branded and own-labelled chilled Mediterranean delicatessen – I joined the team with a view to:

1) developing further the Irish market
2) starting up the activity in the UK market

To reach these objectives, my responsibilities included:

• managing closely the relationship with the existing accounts, with full P&L responsibility
• developing further their own label ranges to drive sustainable growth
• carrying out in-depth market and category analysis
• defining and implementing the commercial strategy for UK & Ireland
• driving the development of a range of chilled olives & antipasti that would suit the UK technical requirements and consumers’ taste
• participating actively in international trade shows

Achievements:
+ delivered a 50%-growth within 2 years with a leading Irish retailer
+ gained new business, securing the listing of 6 own-labelled SKU's within a new account
+ secured introduction meetings with 3 majors UK retailers

WINTERBOTHAM DARBY is an award-winning food supplier working with more than 75 factories across Europe, sourcing and developing premium food items for all the major UK retailers.

After a few months on the ASDA account, I moved up to the TESCO Business Unit were my main responsibilities included:

• monitoring a Continental Morning Goods portfolio to deliver the company’s multimillion budget
• creating and executing a Category Plan with a view to securing and implementing a JBP
• driving growth within the category via the introduction of innovative branded / own labelled products
• driving key projects by liaising closely with the NPD and Technical teams to ensure customer's processes and timings were respected
• seeking new and profitable areas of growth (e.g.: Cakes, Chilled & Frozen Desserts, etc.)

Achievements:
+ successfully retained all the volumes despite a tender activity (c. 6.5 million units p.a.)
+ outperformed vs. budget FY 2014/15 (+11%)
+ agreed a promotional plan delivering significant volume and profit growth

After a few months with WINTHERBOTHAM DARBY, I gained further account responsibility and had been entrusted the ASDA account. My role then included :

• monitoring a Continental Morning Goods portfolio (> 20 SKU’s) to ensure sales and profit were in line with the company’s multimillion budget
• consolidating the existing range and optimizing profitability by securing the smooth delist of slow performing SKU’s
• anticipating possible gaps in the budget so corrective actions could be implemented proactively
• coordinating with both Supply and Demand teams to avoid wastage and ensure SLA’s fulfillment
• identifying new opportunities and liaising with the NPD team to determine the product attributes that will enable to benefit from them prior to producing on an industrial scale with the relevant partner site

On a daily basis, my tasks also included negotiating the best buying costs, determining accurate sell-out prices, MSRP and profit.

Achievements:
+ successfully retained all the volumes despite a tender activity (c. 6.3 million units p.a.)
+ secured the listing of 2 new lines for an annual forecasted turnover of approx. £500k
+ gained promotional space for a strategic WIGIG line, generating incremental sales (+100k units)

• enjoying a cross-functional position within the Specialty Foods trading division with a view to gain a better understanding of the UK retail industry
• supporting the Commercial Director and Senior Manager in their day-to-day activity
• looking after part of an e-retailer account

Achievements:
+ Presented and listed 2 own-label lines in the e-retailer

NORAC FOODS was created in 1989 and with 23 production sites, is now one of the leading companies in the French and European mass-market bread, baked goods and convenience food markets (€840m turnover). They are the largest French producer of sandwiches and filled pancakes and one of the top three companies for pastries, bread and cakes in France.

During my time at PAIN CLEMENT, a subsidiary specialized in own-labelled prepacked bread, I was in charge of :

• taking over and developing the Export Sales department and its selling policy
• adapting the current product range and managing its evolution
• participating actively into pricing and promotion policies
• developing product listings with major European retailers and canvassing other distribution channels

In addition to the intrinsic activities of an Export manager role, I was responsible for the trading relationship with a Spanish supplier (4 000 000 units p.a).

Achievements:
+ 5 products listed in 3 retail chains (Sainsbury's, Migros, Metro)
+ average price increase of +9.5%
+ kept stable the purchasing price of 50% of the volumes of trading products bought despite raw materials rising trend