Peterborough butcher doubles turnover after escaping lockdown collapse

The family-run Stilton Butchers, in Fengate, was left with no customers but holding £1 million worth of fresh meat with no storage space at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But innovative thinking saw the business rapidly change its operations to become a nationwide delivery service with a new redeveloped website.

The move transformed the £7 million turnover catering business into a £15 million retail butchers almost overnight - and at the height of the health crisis.

However, at the same time as overseeing the revival of the business, director James Morgan had to deal with the unexpected death of his father, Peter Morgan, who founded the business in 1978.

James said: “Following the national lockdown in March, we saw our catering clients = pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes - disappear overnight.

“With over 60 employees and the potential loss of a £7 million turnover, the team had to adapt overnight.

“We focused all our attention on to our £500,000 retail customer base by re-developing our website, hiring more staff and investing in delivering nationwide.

“Almost instantly, we saw sales skyrocket and in six months watched our retail turnover more than double the previous catering income.

He added: “The hospitality sector has now started to slowly re-open and Stilton Butchers has seen many of our old clients return, but the same can’t be said for other catering butchers which have seen their businesses damaged beyond repair as a result of Covid-19.”