Member Article

Catering firm raises a glass to 25th anniversary

One of the largest catering equipment suppliers in the North East is celebrating its 25th anniversary by setting up shop in bigger premises.

Crosbys, a supplier to the hospitality and catering industry, has moved to Brough Park Way in Newcastle to house its growing team as it marks a quarter of a century of success. The new unit boasts a spacious 3000 sq ft office, a 3000 sq ft showroom featuring a wide range of stock from specialist brands, and a modern 18,000 sq ft warehouse facility.

The firm supplies crockery, cutlery, specialist catering equipment, paper and janitorial supplies to more than 2000 customers in the North, including bars, restaurants, schools and hospitals, as well as a series of London restaurants and Michelin establishments across the UK and overseas.

Crosbys also runs a specialised van-based sales service called Chef 7, which takes catering products from the warehouse directly to time-strapped chefs in their kitchens.

The business has steadily expanded since it was established in 1990 by entrepreneur Bob Crosby, who had owned a chain of china shops in Whitley Bay, Tynemouth and Whickham.

Bob supplied crockery from his van to the well-known old eateries in Newcastle – Marco Polo, La Roma and the original site of Café 21- and his client base soon grew to include independent restaurants in Middlesbrough, Darlington, Sunderland and Durham, as well as local authorities.

Bob’s sons Roger – a former Barclays branch manager, and Ben – a former professional golfer for Ponteland Golf Club, joined the business as demand continued to soar with the explosion of local restaurant openings. The brothers had played a key part in Bob’s businesses from a young age, having helped him run his china shops when they were children.

With the support of Roger and Ben, the firm soon branched out into sales of cutlery, glassware and light equipment and heavy kitchen kit. Five years ago, Crosbys joined Caterbar, a national buying group that gave the company access to chemicals, paper and disposable supplies, which now form a major part of the business.

The company has sold more than one million cups and saucers over the last 25 years, and could stretch the toilet roll it has sold from Land’s End to John o’ Groats.

Crosbys has benefitted from funding via the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and is developing its e-commerce website to build on its growing number of overseas customers. Past orders include the supply of cereal dispensers for the Olympic Village, and cocktail glasses for an Antiguan beach bar.

Director Roger Crosby said: “We’re very proud of how far we’ve come in 25 years. It’s amazing to look back at our first year’s turnover, which was £70,000. Last year, we achieved £70,000 every week, and this year will see the company exceed £5million.

“We have closely followed the trends in tableware over the years, from the early days of pizza and pasta with checked tablecloths to the minimalist style of Nouvelle cuisine and through to today’s rustic approach with boards and baskets. Now we are also able to offer restaurant design services, so we’re keeping abreast of the latest interior trends too.

“Crosbys started from humble beginnings in a van in the nineties, and we are now fast becoming a one-stop shop for the hospitality industry, offering design, technical build, kitchen fitting and specialist equipment.

“Our strength has always been our ability to listen and adapt to customers’ needs, and we are particularly proud of our longstanding relationships in the North East, and our team of highly committed staff. In fact, our longest-serving member of staff – field sales manager Keiron ONeill - started as a dishwasher within our hire business 16 years ago.

“We are now looking to acquire local businesses which complement our offering, and to add depth to our growing teams in kitchen design and sales.”

Crosbys is continuing to expand its team and is looking to recruit a heavy equipment sales person. Send CVs to roger@crosbys.co.uk

For further information about Crosbys, visit www.crosbys.co.uk or tel: 0191 228 4800

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Crosbys .