Bibendum PLB makes 'small number' of redundancies

By Gemma McKenna

Published: 22 December, 2014

Bibendum PLB has restructured its buying, off-trade, marketing and technical teams in the wake of its October merger, resulting in a small number of redundancies, Harpers.co.uk has learned.

PLB was acquired by Bibendum at the end of October, and the company now offers an on and off-trade service, as well as catering for independents with its newly-acquired Walker & Wodehouse brand, niche spirits and beers with Instil and events through Wondering Wine Company.

Bibendum PLB Bibendum PLB was formed back in OCtober when the two suppliers mergedL to R: Simon Fredericks, Michael Saunders, Jeffrey Fredericks and John Osborne cement the BIbendum PLB merger with a handshake. The group has now confirmed a 'small number' of redundancies.

But the merger meant that some roles would overlap, and Saunders told Harpers.co.uk back in October, "we will be balancing management throughout", adding that some redundancies were "inevitable". It is not yet clear how many staff have been let go - the company said: "We continue to evaluate the structure of the business to enable the best possible service for our customers. We are therefore not in a position to confirm specific numbers in terms of final headcount."

Michael Saunders, group chief executive of Bibendum PLB, told Harpers.co.uk: "The merger of Bibendum and PLB has provided us with the opportunity to look at the organisational structure of our business so that the group can offer the best possible service to our customers. As part of this, over the past weeks, the PLB off-trade team, the marketing team and the buying and technical teams at both Bibendum and PLB, have gone through a period of consultation. This has now concluded and these teams are now fully resourced and ready to hit the ground running in 2015.

Last week Harpers.co.uk reported that Bibendum PLB had restructured its buying team with buying director Andrew Shaw at the helm.

Saunders continued: "Inevitably the restructure has resulted in a very small number of existing roles becoming redundant, but the majority of the staff at both businesses remain.

"This is a new era for Bibendum and PLB and as a group we are keen to harness the best talent in the industry and we already have a huge amount of talent across the two companies to draw from."

Speaking back in October, Saunders said the new company would have a combined head count of around 300 staff and turnover of around £300 million.

The company, currently being run from its two existing sites in Primrose Hill, north London and East Grinstead, West Sussex, is seeking a "knock-out" building in the London Bridge area to house the new firm. Both existing head office properties, which are held on a freehold basis, are to be sold and the new central office would also be bought outright.

Printer friendly version