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Consumer goods giant SHS ups profits to £17.8m

Linda Stewart — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:55:00 +0000

Grocery giant SHS Group increased its profits to £17.8 million last year despite a drop in sales.

Northern Ireland’s largest food and household goods business, established in 1975 by the Salters and Sloan families, said its trading year had been “incredibly challenging” as it navigated the pandemic, the continued fall-out from Brexit, and supply chain pressures.

Its turnover for the year slipped back from £655.6 million to £641.4 million.

Gross margin, a key performance indicator for the group, was 15 per cent during the period compared to 16 per cent a year earlier.

Staff numbers in 2021 increased from 1,210 to 1,271, leading to its wages bill jumping from £50.5m to £58.2m.

The seven directors at SHS were paid a combined £2,614,846 (up from £2,400,271 previously).

The highest paid of them, understood to be award-winning chief executive Elaine Birchall, had a package of £1,272,216, which is one of the biggest private sector salaries paid to any boss in the north.

A dividend of £9m was also paid to the controlling families.

SHS Group owns brands including WKD, Shloer, bottlegreen, Merrydown Cider, Crucial Sauces, Zip & Sunny Jim firelighters and Maguire & Paterson matches, and it also distributes brands including Jordans, Ryvita, Pot Noodle, Finish, Mars Drinks and Colgate.

It is also a market leader in the supply of own label herbs and spices in Britain and manufactures branded and private label condiments and sauces.

In May, founder Dr Joe Sloan stepped away from his day to day role in the company to become honorary president, with Karen Salters taking on the role of group chair.

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SHS Group announces Dr Joe Sloan as Honorary President and Karen Salters as Group Chair

Linda Stewart — Mon, 30 May 2022 08:36:03 +0000

SHS Group, employing over 1,200 people in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector with a turnover of over £640 million, has announced the appointment of Dr Joe Sloan as Honorary President and Karen Salters as Group Chair.

Discussing the appointments Dr Joe Sloan said: “I had the privilege of guiding SHS Group, alongside my business partner the late Geoff Salters, from its inception as a traditional family-run sales and marketing company, to a multinational operation with an enviable range of owned and agency brands, alongside our private label offering. I announced that I was stepping down from the role of Group Chairman and retiring from the Group Board. I have been appointed Honorary President of SHS Group which is a real privilege. I would like to thank the Group Board for their support and wish Karen well in her role as Chair.”

Karen Salters will take over as Group Chair, working closely with SHS Group CEO Elaine Birchall to fulfil the Group’s Vision 25 ambitions. Karen has worked across the Group for over 27 years within the Drinks Division as Marketing Director and Joint Managing Director. She has been a Group Director and member of the board for over a decade, as well as representing the Group and SHS Drinks on trade body networks.

SHS Group owns brands such as WKD, Shloer, bottlegreen, Merrydown Cider, Meridian nut butters, Rocks squash drinks, Crucial Sauces, Zip & Sunny Jim firelighters and Maguire & Paterson matches.

It also distributes brands including Jordans, Ryvita, Pot Noodle, Finish, Mars Drinks and Colgate, is a market leader in the supply of own label herbs and spices in Great Britain and manufactures branded and private label condiments and sauces.

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SHS Group CEO Elaine Burchill awarded honorary MBE

Julie Nash — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 09:50:52 +0000

Elaine Birchall, CEO of the SHS Group, has been awarded an honorary MBE as part of Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to economic development in Northern Ireland.

Elaine, who is originally from Co. Kildare, has led the SHS Group – a FMCG family-owned Group headquartered in Belfast – and is a long-standing CBI member.

The SHS Group employs over 1,100 people in commercial offices and production sites in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain. The Group owns many household brands including WKD, Shloer, Maguire & Patterson matches, Zip firelighters and Meridian nut butters and distributes a portfolio of well-known brands including Colgate, Nurofen, Finish, Dettol, Ryvita and Tunnocks. The business has commercial offices in Belfast and Dublin.

Through her association with CBI NI, as a long-standing board member and more recently Vice Chair, Elaine has ensured Northern Ireland business issues have been represented to policymakers at all levels.

In partnership with Women in Business NI Elaine has volunteered her expertise to support and champion professional development for women, and she also sits on Business in the Community’s NI Board who work to deliver the region’s responsible business agenda.

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