As the managing director of Caterite, one of Cumbria’s leading food and drink companies, it’s fair to say Richard Fletcher has achieved more than most in his 33 years, but he isn’t ready to put the breaks on just yet! Adding another string to his already impressive bow, at the in-Cumbria Business Awards he walked away with one of the events most coveted titles, ‘Business Person of the Year’ in December 2017.

Yet, despite the accolades, Richard Fletcher hasn’t let the success go to his head and still firmly sees himself as just a ‘grocer’. However the same can’t be said for the high-tech infrastructure and logistical operation that is Caterite. With this in mind, let’s see what factors have helped pave the path to success for this remarkable online food and wine business.

Investing in An Online Infrastructure

iWeb were lucky enough to have been involved in creating the Caterite site you see today, something that Richard Fletcher sees as a solid success for the business. In a recent feature for in-Cumbria magazine, he noted how real  ‘investment has been ploughed into the website’ to help improve not only the online customer journey, but has also equipped them with the technology that has transported them to the same sphere as Amazon, rather than just direct competitors.

in-Cumbria Business Awards | Caterite

It’s true, they’ve come a long way from their mobile grocery store day back when they first started in the late 60’s. They now do an impressive 30% of their sales online, a feat which would not have been possible without a fully functioning eCommerce website. Caterite truly understood the importance of getting it right when comes to an online presence and it’s certainly paid off for them.

in-Cumbria Business Awards | Caterite

Here are some of the  key features of their site:

  • Bespoke data integration
  • One-page checkout
  • Algolia Search for improved results
  • Single, multipack and weighted products
  • Favorite products concepts
  • Custom sorting of products based on popularity
  • Multiple saved shopping list

Age is Just a Number

Another success of the Caterite business approach has been their willingness to allow young people to thrive and grow in the company, and there’s nobody more qualified to talk about this than Richard Fletcher. He believes the opportunities and responsibilities he was given when he first started with Caterite at the junior age of 26, have helped him get to where he is now, the company MD at just 33 years of age.

The same attitude towards youth is mirrored throughout other departments in the company. In his article for in-Cumbria, he mentions other department heads who are in their early 20’s managing teams of between 16-18 people, as well as their 22-year-old Customer Services Manager.

However, it’s not just their great approach to employee age that makes Caterite stand out, but also their excellent approach to job progression opportunities for people who begin at the bottom. He examples their current Transport Manager who now manages around 40 people, but first started at the company as a driver – it’s pretty inspirational!

With a fresh approach to employees and real investment in their website infrastructure, it’s no wonder Caterite are 15% more efficient than this time last year.

If you’re interested in learning more about the iWeb Caterite project or simply want to have a chat about your own site, then we’d love you to get in touch.