Small Business Saturday Blog

It’s been five years since bakery chain The Flour Pot hit Brighton’s high streets for the first time.

Since founder Oli Hyde opened that first Sydney Street premises in the town’s historic North Laine area, the business has grown to now boast seven stores in the Brighton and Hove area.

It’s an East Sussex empire built on foundations of sumptuous sourdough: “Sourdough is the core of everything we do – we actually started as a wholesale provider of the bread, before expanding our offering and opening our first retail stores,” head of marketing and sales, Louise Tamadon-Nejad, explains.

The business works on a vertically integrated supply chain model, still selling wholesale to other bakeries, cafes and restaurants in the region, while also providing the bread, cakes and pastries for its own stores.

The Flour Pot has expanded its product range to enhance its brand, and now has ambition to expand beyond the South East: “We always have ambition to grow, but the most important thing is maintaining the quality of what we do and a consistency between stores in quality of product and of customer service,” Louise says. “This is the key to our success and we would not expand beyond our current offering if we didn’t think we could ensure this.”

The bakery has become renowned in Brighton and Hove for the impressive customer experience its 120 employees provide, with long-serving store managers and sales teams working between the seven sites to ensure the same high-quality experience is provided at each, regardless of the target customer.

“Each of our stores attracts different customers because of the area each is based in,” Louise says. “Some attract tourists, others local figures in the area like the Brighton & Hove Albion football team, but all of them from the smallest to the largest bring in a diverse clientele, from young families to the longest-standing members of our community.”

If strong collaboration between The Flour Pot’s seven stores ensures its reputation, Louise emphasises that collaboration between the town’s independent retailers ensures both they – and the high streets around them – continue to thrive. The Flour Pot’s latest site, on Portland Road in Hove, has taken this co-operation to another level, partnering with a local florist and building adjoining doors between the two shops.

Louise also highlights AMEX’s work through its Shop Small offer and as principal supporter of Small Business Saturday as particularly important in ensuring small businesses like The Flour Pot succeed: “Small businesses are integral to communities, but this is often kept out of the spotlight.

“It’s great that these campaigns exist to encourage community residents to get behind their local businesses, and in turn we give back to our customers with special offers.”

Last year was the third year The Flour Pot took part in Small Business Saturday, and it was a particularly special one. They were joined by a member of Brighton & Hove Albion football team for an interview that featured on Gillette Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports on the day itself.

With just over six months until this year’s campaign, will The Flour Pot be involved for a fourth year? “Of course we will!”