Firm closing

[NoTailT]

3 minutes ago, Gladys said:

That is true, but when you have limited funds in your purse, which loaf of bread will you choose?  The 59p one, or the RB one at £2?

Even the cheapest RB loaf in Tesco today was a lot more than the cheapest.  Could RB ever compete?  Should they even try, or rely on loyalty and that, IMHO, their product is better (Molenburg)? 

The problem with the artisan bakeries is they don't tend to supply sliced loaves, which is really the staple product for sandwiches and packed lunches. 

TBH, perhaps RB should have concentrated on their quality range, Molenburg and the Harvester Bloomer (a lovely loaf, particularly with soup), and leave the lower end market to the imports. 

 

 

This question has been posed multiple times in this thread re your Tesco point: how much are Tesco paying RB for a loaf?

Tesco are charging anywhere from 60 to 30p more per loaf of RB than other on-Island conveniences or Shoprite.

Is this actually an effort to price-out the local produce versus their own?

[Manx Resident]

7 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

You're conflating. A private business has announced it's closing, and didn't choose to share that news with government. Government has responded today and is meeting that business tomorrow. Maybe starting parliamentary sessions with prayers to assure daily bread has made people complacent, but I don't think so. There are contingency plans for all sorts of things, and whilst this is bad news (especially for the 80+ people who are employed in the bakery and supply chain) it is a commercial decision and will not impact the supply of bread.

You are right, I was indeed conflating issues to raise a wider issue. I do hope, that as you say, there are contingency plans for all sorts of things and that a commercial decision will not impact the supply of bread. Cheers.

[Annoymouse]

4 minutes ago, Gladys said:

That is true, but when you have limited funds in your purse, which loaf of bread will you choose?  The 59p one, or the RB one at £2?

Even the cheapest RB loaf in Tesco today was a lot more than the cheapest.  Could RB ever compete?  Should they even try, or rely on loyalty and that, IMHO, their product is better (Molenburg)? 

The problem with the artisan bakeries is they don't tend to supply sliced loaves, which is really the staple product for sandwiches and packed lunches. 

TBH, perhaps RB should have concentrated on their quality range, Molenburg and the Harvester Bloomer (a lovely loaf, particularly with soup), and leave the lower end market to the imports. 

 

 

I can’t taste the difference between a 56p loaf and a Ramsey Bakery White and Healthy, I quite like a Gold Crust but equally most of the import farmhouse breads taste the same to me, I will never pay £3 for a loaf of bread, not unless I’m earning £20 a hour. 

[Gladys]

3 minutes ago, Annoymouse said:

I can’t taste the difference between a 56p loaf and a Ramsey Bakery White and Healthy, I quite like a Gold Crust but equally most of the import farmhouse breads taste the same to me, I will never pay £3 for a loaf of bread, not unless I’m earning £20 a hour. 

White and Healthy is no better than the imports.  Gold Crust is a much better product, I agree. 

Who knows what the pricing of supply is with Tesco, but does that really matter if RB had targeted the quality end of their range?  Perhaps that was the problem.  Having squeezed out the original competition, when other competition came on the scene, they tried to compete on every level. 

[Ringy Rose]

33 minutes ago, Gladys said:

Even the cheapest RB loaf in Tesco today was a lot more than the cheapest.  Could RB ever compete?  Should they even try, or rely on loyalty and that, IMHO, their product is better (Molenburg)? 

What's interesting about Tesco is that Ramsey Bakery stuff in there is usually 15p-20p more than it is anywhere else.

21 minutes ago, Annoymouse said:

I can’t taste the difference between a 56p loaf and a Ramsey Bakery White and Healthy

Now I can tell the difference with the cheapest loaves.  But there isn't really any difference between a White and Healthy and a Warburton Toastie, to be quite honest.  What difference there is is because the Warburton loaf is usually 2-3 days old before it even gets here. 

RB can never have the economies of scale that, say, Warburton have.  Even more crucially than that, Ramsey Bakery can't enter into the nationwide agreements the likes of Tesco have, where Tesco will gladly sell the bread at a loss as a promotional activity.  I remember ten years ago a Warburton Toastie loaf was retailing at about £1.40 in the UK (the ONS says £1.32 in July 2013); I doubt that the bread has got cheaper to make since then.

Put simply, people seem to judge Ramsey Bakery prices against insane loss-leader prices offered by national retailers.  Well duh, of course they look expensive.

[Ringy Rose]

25 minutes ago, Manx17 said:

I do think you feel you are getting it cheaper in the supermarkets but really there is so much temptation, you end up spending more and it ends up in the bin, we’ll it did in our house.

There is a reason why the big retailers sell staples like bread and milk at a loss.

[Banker]

1 hour ago, Manx17 said:

I do agree with you glady, I also wonder with all the little baker shops they had were they taking on too much. All those shops would have a lot of out goings. I don’t have lots of money and know when things can get hard. But I have now found myself growing more not lots but I find it saves me a few pounds and also we are not big bread eaters in our house. We are also guilty in shopping in Tesco. But when we went into lock down and I will admit I did feel fear was drummed into our heads about not going out stay home. I used local delivery and do you know what it was a bit more expensive but it turned out the same really. As we weren’t  buying the crap anymore. I do think you feel you are getting it cheaper in the supermarkets but really there is so much temptation, you end up spending more and it ends up in the bin, we’ll it did in our house.  But everyone has their own situation and I don’t want to speculate who can afford what. But I do feel we need to keep it more local where we can and I think business owners if they don’t get too greedy. I think more people will shop with them.

The little shops ie Mr Bs were always busy selling sandwiches, pasties, cake, sausage baps etc , the willaston one always seemed to sell most of stock by closing time of c2pm

[Gladys]

8 minutes ago, Manx17 said:

It’s a strange one then if business was doing well. 

Not really if the next generation don't want it.  But then if it was doing well you would think it would have value and could be sold as a going concern.

We just don't know, and it is all supposition. 

[Kopek]

3 hours ago, Banker said:

y closing time of c2pm

That says a lot for the business model???

I recently 'discovered' their cheese pasty, I've had two! Really the best available but the loss is better for my waistline!

I feel guilty now for not supporting them more but they never lifted their selves above the Soft, Stay fresh white/brown offering that people would use at home. I needed something different from home use. When I lost the Roberts from Jack Frost, no not the same as in Spar, the best I found was Tesco Multi Grain which was always 1.20 or so not their cheapo.

Moelenberg is probably their best, as is their Manx Grains but they would not produce an 800g Grains, even to order!

They probably knew what they were doing and whether it was worthwhile but not for me thanks!!!

The important thing is to see the farmers and the Mill through September, then see what happens. Even with G9vt intervention?

[Amadeus]

16 hours ago, NoTailT said:

This question has been posed multiple times in this thread re your Tesco point: how much are Tesco paying RB for a loaf?

Tesco are charging anywhere from 60 to 30p more per loaf of RB than other on-Island conveniences or Shoprite.

Is this actually an effort to price-out the local produce versus their own?

You're almost correct. Taking the current price of 800g White and Healthy:

Tesco: 1.90
Spar: 1.95
Shoprite: 1.63
Coop: 1.63

So Tesco charge more than most, but not all. I'm sure they could sell it for less if they wanted to. 

 

 

 

[0bserver]

10 minutes ago, Amadeus said:

You're almost correct. Taking the current price of 800g White and Healthy:

Tesco: 1.90
Spar: 1.95
Shoprite: 1.63
Coop: 1.63

So Tesco charge more than most, but not all. I'm sure they could sell it for less if they wanted to. 

Without knowing the wholesale price that RB sell to Tesco we can't know that for certain. 

[Banker]

3 minutes ago, 0bserver said:

Without knowing the wholesale price that RB sell to Tesco we can't know that for certain. 

Probably 50% of selling price!! Big supermarkets like to price smaller suppliers high so they customers buy the supermarkets brands . Also suppliers have to pay to have products listed online.

Edited April 6, 2022 by Banker

[NoTailT]

6 minutes ago, Banker said:

Probably 50% of selling price!! Big supermarkets like to price smaller suppliers high so they customers buy the supermarkets brands . Also suppliers have to pay to have products listed online.

This. As I've been saying for many pages, who knows what markup Tesco is adding and are they intentionally trying to price out the local produce...

[Numbnuts]

Was in a RB outlet shop a couple of hours ago. Chatting about the situation while purchasing , quite like there filled baps, and they said numersous people had been in offering the staff jobs if they do close. A couple of well established existing sandwich/food outlets. Tbh dont think any of the staff will struggle to get work. My guess also some of the existing outlets will be taken on as lots seem , as said above , quite busy. As for closing at 2 ish , well who eats after that time as on the way to evening meal. Brew time and lunch and the likes are there main business I would say with cakes being another revenue stream. Not a great one though as they cakes are not fashionable or not great products in the main.  

Edited April 6, 2022 by Numbnuts

[TheTeapot]

When I worked in a little independent convenience shop years ago the price of bread was fixed. You couldn't put your own margin on it. 

Also, Ramsey bakery were really quite efficient, you had a standing order and let them know by 5 if you wanted it changed, and the guy would be there at pretty much the same time everyday to deliver it to you. And in my time there they never got it wrong.

It was a long time ago though. 

Edited April 6, 2022 by TheTeapot