From a burger van to Buckingham Palace
Simply Lunch started off with a couple of family members and a goal to supply high-quality sandwiches across the whole of Britain. In the ten years it was with CapitalSpace, the business grew rapidly, as demonstrated by their expansion from one unit to four plus two mezzanine floors, and the growth of their vehicle fleet from three to ten.
But founder Terry Page is keen to point out that a successful business like Simply Lunch doesn’t appear from thin air: ‘Our business has constantly evolved from when we started, which I believe is one of the reasons of our success. That, and hard work.’
Man with a van
Simply Lunch isn’t Terry’s first commercial success: ‘When I was 20 years old I purchased a burger van and built up fantastic trade situated along the A22 near Godstone and from there I never looked back. I went on to build one of the most well-known café chains in South London – Fatboys Café’s – and then a number of different restaurants and sandwich bars along the way. We sold all our retail spaces 12 years ago, due to a shift in focus of the business, and centralised our business to one production unit at CapitalSpace.’
CapitalSpace appealed to Simply Lunch for its security, locality to Croydon and flexible leasing, which proved vital to the company’s growth: ‘Flexible leasing was the main reason we were able to grow the company at CapitalSpace. I also believe the great working relationship we held with the CapitalSpace management team was crucial.’
Taste the difference
There are of course many companies that specialise in selling sandwiches, so what is it that makes Simply Lunch stand out from the crowd? ‘Our business philosophy is quite simple (hence our name!). Great tasting lunches with an impeccable level of service to our customers. Staying true to this every day is why we have grown to where we are now. We are a family run business and our family values filter through to all of the 170 employees we now employ from the local area.’
Since they first opened their doors they’ve marked up many milestones, one of the stand-out highlights being their recent success in winning a contract with Buckingham Palace. ‘That was a very proud moment. Buckingham Palace pride themselves on first-class quality, and to win this contract was testament to the quality of product and service we have established over the years.’
Future growth
As such a rapidly growing business we wanted to know what Simply Lunch had set out for the future? ‘After 18 months at our new-state-of-art, 25,000 square foot food production facility, we are now settled and have ambitious plans to fill the factory’s capacity. We have made great progress in the last 12 months to achieve this goal by winning new business, as well as improving our business systems to ensure they are in line with the pace at which our business is growing and ready for future growth.’
Terry is not surprised by where the company is, but admits it hasn’t always been plain sailing: ‘I have always been very ambitious and I had full intentions of growing the business to where it is today. It has been a rollercoaster journey but I am very pleased of the position we are now in.’
Due to the rapid growth of the company, CapitalSpace was ideal through the flexible monthly contracts and facilities provided for any business looking to strive forward. Whether it be a small office or a large workshop the possibilities of expansion are great for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Simply Lunch’s journey is just one of the customers who took advantage of this.
It may have been a rollercoaster, but it’s certainly one that has paid off. So the next time you’re considering lunch, think about Simply Lunch.
