John Wood

[Pweaver1984]

Does any one know what Michelin Starred chef John Wood does for J Sainsburys? Thats if he's still there? I mean from going from "The Best Hotel In The Wold" to your local supersupermarket...?

I hear he was a very good chef before his time abroad.... is he still using himself to his ("our") full potential in this million £ deal?!

Prior thanks from an interested Egullter.

[postcode]

Does any one know what Michelin Starred chef John Wood does for J Sainsburys? Thats if he's still there? I mean from going from "The Best Hotel In The Wold" to your local supersupermarket...?

I hear he was a very good chef before his time abroad.... is he still using himself to his ("our") full potential in this million £ deal?!

Prior thanks from an interested Egullter.

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He was only recently promoted from his role as executive chef of the Burj-al-Arab to resort executive chef, when he left Dubai in May last year. He started the newly created role of executive chef at Sainsbury's in July last year and I think he's still based in Holborn.

He helps develop the range of produce available in stores, strengthening links with both regional and international suppliers, and oversees development chefs as well as helping to develop the roles of the in-store ‘theatre chefs’. He was also tasked with looking to Japan and the USA for transferable concepts to make Sainsbury's the market leader.

Before he moved to Dubai, he was executive head chef at Cliveden in Berkshire, where he held a Michelin star. Before that, I don't know.

[Suzi Edwards]

I have a former Chef friend (former Chef, not former friend) who used to do consultancy for both M&S and Satanburies. The stories that he told me about creating delicious food and then having to downgrade all of the ingredients so that the supermarkets fod costs were as low as humanely possible really depressed him and me. He no longer works for them.

[Andy Lynes]

Suzi - I think what we've got to do is try and see the bigger picture. In 2004 Sainsbury's profits fell to just £675m from £695m in 2003. That's 2.9% down. Surely we all appreciate that in order to do the right thing by the shareholders, they need to cut costs and the obvious area to do that in is food. You wouldn't really want them to put their customers and the nation's health before their dividends would you?

[Suzi Edwards]

Yeah, you're right Andy. And it is about the nations health. We should thank them for using 75% less cheese than the chef suggested in a pasta dish because that way we're eating so much less saturated fat.

Edited March 19, 2005 by Suzi Edwards (log)

[postcode]

The supermarkets will only continue to make these profits if consumers continue to buy from them. No punters, no profits. Unfortunately the great British public are all sheep when it comes to convenience and there's little more then a snowflake's chance in hell that they'll ever manage to subsist without them.

Same with sofas, B&Q sales and bank holiday weekends spent at IKEA.

[SamanthaF]

John wood was at Chapter One before he went on his travels etc..

[Andy Lynes]

John wood was at Chapter One before he went on his travels etc.

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I'd completely forgotten that, but now you mention it I can recall reading a Caterer article or two about him when he was there. Done well for himself hasn't he.

[Pweaver1984]

Does anyone know who Tescos equivalent to John Wood is(if one at all)?

Just read that there 2004 profit was £1.7 Billion!!

Where did you find Sainsburys profit Andy?

[magnolia]

Does anyone know who Tescos equivalent to John Wood is(if one at all)?

Just read that there 2004 profit was £1.7 Billion!!

Where did you find Sainsburys profit Andy?

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S'bury's profits are probably somewhere on their website (under 'investor relations' or some such); I also remember them being splashed throughout the financial press in all their gruesome glory - they are second, possibly third largest behind Tesco and tied with or behind...I want to say Asda. Personally, I can't bring myself to go into any of these places for fear of getting lost and not being able to find my way out. It's a recurring nightmare. Me standing in the middle of the biscuit aisle, or running around looking for someone - anyone - who knows where anything is - or standing in a queue with lights and beeps and loyalty cards all around, screaming "let me out of here!!"

Does S-bury's also sell clothes and electronics and CDs and all those other food-related items?

[Suzi Edwards]

I don't think they sell clothes. But they have very sucessfully branched out into financial services so you can now bank with Sainburies bank, get your pet insurance through them and get a loan from them.

[Jonathan Day]

In 2004 Sainsbury's profits fell to just £675m from £695m in 2003. That's 2.9% down. Surely we all appreciate that in order to do the right thing by the shareholders, they need to cut costs and the obvious area to do that in is food. You wouldn't really want them to put their customers and the nation's health before their dividends would you?

←

Just read that [Tesco's] 2004 profit was £1.7 Billion!!

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These big profit numbers have nothing to do with these companies being greedy -- just big. If the corner shop buys a bottle of wine from a supplier at £3 and sells it to you for £6, it makes a £3 profit. Tescosburys probably buys that bottle for £2 and sells it to you for £2.99, making a 99p profit. It just does that many million times over. So who is greedier in this case? In fact the shareholders of these big grocery chains, with the notable exception of Tesco's, have had a tough time in the past few years. Sainsbury's shares are almost exactly where they were one year ago.

As a consumer, I'm no great admirer of the big supermarkets. We are lucky to live steps away from Northcote Road, one of the better food streets in London, and we have three fishmongers, three butchers, several bakeries, two Italian salumerie and some fine independent wineshops in easy striking distance. We use Ocado (the Waitrose internet delivery service), especially for "chemicals" (Domestos bleach, loo rolls, laundry powder) and the like.

And there are definite issues about things like executive pay at these big companies: see this story for an example. But the big profits, in and of themselves, are only a result of these companies being ... big.