CHIEF EXECUTIVE - FWB Park Brown · 1 FWB PARK BROWN | CT SARCH CJ LANG & SON LTD CH CT C J Lang & Son Ltd (hereafter CJ Lang) is a family owned Scottish business, and with a turnover

E X E C U T I V E S E A R C H

CJ Lang & Son LtdCHIEF EXECUTIVE

Contents

FWB PARK BROWN | EXECUTIVE SEARCH CJ LANG & SON LTD | CHIEF EXECUTIVE

1. THE COMPANY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2. THE ROLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

3. CANDIDATE PROFILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

4. SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

5. HOW TO APPLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

FWB PARK BROWN | EXECUTIVE SEARCH1 CJ LANG & SON LTD | CHIEF EXECUTIVE

C J Lang & Son Ltd (hereafter CJ Lang) is a family owned Scottish business, and with a turnover of £200m and directly employing circa 2000 people, is one of Scotland’s largest independent companies.

Mrs. Joan Scott—Adie, grand-daughter of the

founder Charles J Lang, is the current Chairman,

and together with immediate members of her

family as Non-Executive Directors, along with

the Chief Executive and Finance Director, form

the Board.

Headquartered in Dundee, CJ Lang both supplies

and operates 119 of its own retail convenience

stores, as well as supplying a further 180

independently owned convenience stores

operating under the SPAR Scotland franchise.

CJ Lang is one of the 5 independently owned

companies operating the SPAR UK business.

1. The Company OVERVIEW


Charles J Lang established the business in 1919 with the purchase of a food brokers in Dundee, importing food from both the United States and Canada, and by establishing strong trading links with Holland, the business grew beyond its original beginnings.

His son C G Lang, father of the current

Chairman, joined the business in 1927,

and in recognition of his contribution

the company name was changed to that

of today – C J Lang & Son Ltd.

Post war expansion continued in both

retail and wholesale operations, and

the business established its first Cash

& Carry operation in Dundee. From

these beginnings, a further five Cash &

Carry outlets were established under

the Martex name. These continued

until 2010, when due to increased

competition, the then remaining Martex

operations were sold. The SPAR brand

continued to be developed by CJ Lang

across the two-thirds of Scotland it

covered.

SPAR Scotland was established in

1993, and having acquired the SPAR

Scotland franchise CJ Lang is now

responsible for operating both its own

retail convenience stores under the

SPAR brand, and for developing and

growing the brand through wholesale

distribution to all the independent

convenience stores throughout

Scotland also operating under the SPAR

Scotland franchise.

Further acquisitions have cemented

CJ Lang’s position as the leading

Independent Food Wholesaler & Retailer

in Scotland.

1. The Company HISTORY

CHARLES J LANG


1. The Company

Today the business consists of three key trading divisions:

• 119 owned retail convenience stores operating across Scotland with a

full range of branded and SPAR own label grocery, alcohol, tobacco and

newspapers/magazines. Approximately 60% also operate as Post Offices,

and in addition a sizeable number of these stores provide ‘Food to Go’

under the SUBWAY franchise. Retail owned stores account for circa 44%

of total company revenues.

• Spar Independents number approximately 180 stores, and are operated

by their individual owners. CJ Lang supply these stores direct with

products from the Longtown RDC. SPAR Independent sales account for

approximately 54% of company revenues.

• Bulk Trading accounts for approximately 2% of company revenues. This

division exploits and leverages suppliers’ promotional volume pricing

opportunities, making a small margin, to trade on the “grey market” with

other retailers, including the UK multiples.

CJ LANG TODAY


1. The Company STRATEGY

STRATEGY

The Company’s stated twin

stream strategy is to continue

to grow both its owned retail

estate, and increase the number

of independent retailers operating

under the SPAR Scotland franchise

supplied by CJ Lang.

The Company will seek to add

to its retail estate either through

the acquisition of existing trading

stores, or by building Greenfield

sites. A retail development

financing facility from the Royal

Bank of Scotland exists to facilitate

this growth.

Growing the number of SPAR

independents supplied by CJ

Lang represents an opportunity

to continue to develop the SPAR

brand, without owning the retail

fixed assets, whilst at the same

time profiting from the wholesale

margin generated from these sales.

Bulk Trading is an opportunistic

trading activity, operating with

slim margins, and by its nature is

volatile. Although contributing

to sales revenue and bottom line

profit, it is not a significant business

driver.

Although the Company has these

stated strategic aims, it does not

have a current three year business

plan. The Board expects the Chief

Executive to lead the Operating

Board to address this issue as a

priority.

CURRENT TRADING

POSITION

The Company continues to trade

profitably, albeit behind 2017/18

budget due to the performance

of its owned stores. Sales to

Independents and Bulk Trading

are in line with budget. The

company has added three new

owned stores to its portfolio in

the current year, and continues to

review opportunities. Currently,

management (and therefore the

Board), are unable to determine

the Return on Capital Employed

by profit stream, and clarity on

this will guide future strategy and

investment.

Planned increases in the Minimum

Wage from April 2018, coupled

with continued margin pressures,

and potentially further legislative

changes on the sale of alcohol in

Scotland, will require well thought

through strategies to mitigate the

impact on both revenue and profit

in the coming years.

The UK Grocery market is

continuing to undergo significant

change. Consolidation moves such

as the Tesco/Booker merger and

the CO-OP acquisition of NISA will

add increased price pressure.


1. The Company THE OPERATING BOARD

The Operating Board manages the day to day

activities of the Company under the delegated

authorities from the Board of Directors, and

is led by the Chief Executive. In addition, it

consists of:

• Trading Director - responsible for Bulk

Trading, Procurement, Marketing and SPAR

UK liaison.

• Sales Director - responsible for sales to SPAR

independents, including the acquisition of

new SPAR independents.

• Retail Director - responsible for the

management of company owned stores and

development thereof.

• Distribution Director - responsible for

warehousing and distribution operations.

• IT Director - responsible for all company IT

operations.

• Of note is that there is currently no Finance

Director or HR Director, or representation of

either function, on the Operating Board. This

will need to be addressed.


2. Role Overview

Reporting to the Chairman, CJ Lang is looking to identify an individual who will recognise the potential within the business, and develop and implement the necessary business plans that the Board requires, with passion and enthusiasm.

Working with the Main Board and leading the

Operating Board, the Chief Executive will be

both a strategic thinker, as well an exceptional

operational leader. They will be commercially

aware, advising on the best path of growth

for the business, and will have day to day

control and responsibility for all aspects of the

company’s profitability and long-term growth.

They will be an effective communicator who

presents with energy, passion, and will have the

gravitas and inner confidence to support the

Board of Directors.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• As a key member of the Board of Directors,

assess, manage and deliver organisational

performance against both the annual budget

and Company’s long-term strategy.

• With the Operating Board develop options for

future strategy and present to the Board of

Directors.

• Lead and deliver the business strategy once

agreed by the Board of Directors.

• Develop a high performing Operating Board

and senior management team, with succession

planning embedded as a way of working.

• Ensure a smooth flow of high quality

information on business performance to the

Board.

• Communicate and participate in key decisions

pertaining to strategic initiatives, operating

models and operational execution.

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with

senior executives to identify their needs and

seek full range of business solutions.

• Ensure strong corporate governance and risk

management processes and procedures to

protect the CJ Lang business.

• Represent CJ Lang on key external matters and

manage the interface with SPAR UK.

• Seek out and present to the Board

opportunities to develop and grow the CJ Lang

business.

• Build and lead an effective set of Company

values for CJ Lang.


EXPERIENCE

• The role requires a highly experienced

commercial individual with a background

in Retail/Wholesale/FMCG with strong

leadership qualities, and a flair for innovation

and ingenuity.

• Excellent analytical and abstract reasoning

skills.

• Significant experience of strategy

development, execution of tactical solutions,

and continuous improvement management

principles.

• Competent in pro-active measures whilst

concurrently capable to analyse problems,

identify and present alternative solutions and

implement recommendations for resolution.

• Previous exposure to corporate development

and post-acquisition integration.

ST YLE

• Commercially astute, articulate, strong,

dynamic, insightful and influential leader with

the ability to operate at both strategic and

operational levels.

• An excellent communicator with exceptional

interpersonal and leadership skills, combined

with a commercial approach and the ability

to work well under pressure, whilst balancing

priorities to achieve deadlines.

• Solutions driven, strong can-do mentality,

creative problem solver.

• Demonstrates a high level of integrity,

openness and dependability with a strong

sense of urgency and results orientation.

• High energy, drive and ambitious, with a

focus on results, self-sufficient.

• Has an enquiring mind with a passion for

excellence and innovation in pursuit of

business growth and success.

3. Candidate Profile


This role represents an opportunity to join CJ Lang

at a key point in its development. The company is

faced with increased competition, but is positioned in

a growing part of the Grocery market – convenience

retailing. The company now needs to develop a fresh

and clear vision for the future, and with a renewed

sense of its own potential.

The critical next steps for the business are to bring

into CJ Lang the required skills to allow the business

to flourish by developing and deploying the right

strategies. Crucially, for the Chief Executive, not

losing sight of the strategic growth possibilities

for the business, and constantly working with the

Executive team to ensure that CJ Lang seizes these.

The Chief Executive will have to rapidly develop a

sense of how all the elements of the business fit

with each other, and then scope out and agree with

the Board of Directors and the Executive Team the

necessary changes and improvements that will have

to be introduced.

4. Summary

Longtown Distribution Centre, 78 Longtown Road, Dundee DD4 8JU

Tel: 01382 512 000 | WWW.CJLANG.CO.UK

CJ Lang have retained the services of FWB Park Brown to support them with this appointment.

Applications should be made via :

[email protected]

FWB Park Brown Ltd

19 Alva Street,

Edinburgh EH2 4PH

Tel: 0131 539 7087

FAO Willie Finlayson

5. How to Apply

WWW.FWBPARKBROWN.COM

E X E C U T I V E S E A R C H

Documents

CHIEF EXECUTIVE - FWB Park Brown · 1 FWB PARK BROWN | CT SARCH CJ LANG & SON LTD CH CT C J Lang & Son Ltd (hereafter CJ Lang) is a family owned Scottish business, and with a turnover