Mani has changed the case quantities of nearly all of its packaging. This is for various reasons – mainly to help cash & carry customer who sell these products by the sleeve and also to reconfigure the quantity per pallet so that we can get more on a pallet therefore offsetting some of the recent price increases by reducing carriage. Here are all the details:

All square and twirl bowls and lids are now packed in 400’s. The round and oval hinged bowls remain in their old case sizes.
All prices on these products have been pro-rated including the recent 8% increase. We will be using up existing stocks of the old cases first so you will notice a gradual migration to the new case quantities in the next couple of months.

This is never a subject we like to write about or have to inform our customers of but we will have to implement a price increase effective 14 June.

You may be aware of the recent news within the paper industry with regards to increases in both virgin pulp and waste grades used for brown, white and greaseproof papers. Some within the paper industry have been describing this as a crisis. Several factors have contributed to the unprecedented increases we are seeing. The recent Chilean earthquake from where a large percentage of the world’s pulp paper derives, the recent weakening of Sterling against the Euro and Dollar, a hauliers strike in Finland and a particularly severe winter in Scandinavia and the closing of a number of paper mills on the continent have been just some of the most telling factors.

Some of the issues were covered in a recent Financial Times artictle you can read here: (free subscription required ) http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/63866c52-305f-11df-bc4a-00144feabdc0.html

Coupled with that, there are increases in both high density and low density polythene and all plastics in general due to increased demand in the Far East, rising oil prices and higher shipping costs.

In general we are looking at price increases on selected ranges of 5-10% depending on the particular product. New price lists are available from our customer service team and are being sent out by post and email over the coming days.

Please be assured that everyone at Sovereign is working hard behind the scenes to get the best deal possible for all our customers. We are negotiating tirelessly with all suppliers to ensure we have the best deal possible and constantly search out new ways of delivering value for money to all our customers. We greatly regret the need to pass on increases at such a challenging time for our industry but these increases are beyond our control and need to be made to safeguard the industry as a whole.

We are delighted to launch our new website. We hope that you enjoy it with its more enhanced features and ease of use. Our main focus is to make it easier for you to find the packaging that you are looking for. You can now find a lot of information on the homepage using our slider where we feature our most popular products. The slider will continue to be updated as we add new products and innovations to our range.

The two most exciting new features are our video and online brochure. For people new to Sovereign our 90 second video gives you the perfect rundown on what we are about and what products and services we can provide. We are always happy to send copies of our catalogue out but you don’t need to wait any more and can now view it instantaneously. We have also provided a zoom feature so you can get up close to all the products we stock.

If you see something you like and want to buy straight away you can do at sovereignshop.com. We are adding new products to the shop all the time and shortly everything in the brochure and on the website will be available in the shop.
And if you want to be kept up to date with everything that is going on at Sovereign then be sure to start following us on Twitter. I can’t guarantee we’re going to be the most prolific posters but we will be using this feature to keep you instantly informed on new products and offer.

Please feel free to let us have your feedback on the new site through the contact page. If you think there is anything we can improve on we are always eager to have your thoughts and input. And we will keep adding to and improving the site so please keep coming back to see all the latest news, products, innovations and information that Sovereign has to offer.

Sovereign, one of the most successful suppliers to the food & coffee to go market, has made three significant moves for 2010 that it feels sure will help maintain its position as one of the best independent national distributors in the UK.
The company as just completed a move to new larger premises - doubling the size of its Dunstable warehouse to 66,000 square feet in which to run its storage and logistic operation.

Sovereign has also recently appointed a new regional sales manager for the North. Mike Traynor brings with him over 20 years experience in the food-to-go and packaging industries and will introduce the company to many new opportunities in the region.

Sovereign is also delighted to welcome Jo Miles who has joined as regional sales manager covering the South and some national accounts. Sovereign's experienced sales team brings a combined total of over 100 years of specialist knowledge of an industry that it welcomes you to tap into.

Commenting on these moves Sovereign's Barbara Feldman said "with the combination of our new space and strengthened sales team I am more confident than ever that we have the perfect springboard in place to see significant growth for the company entering the next decade".

Since being founded in the early 90's Sovereign has always exhibited at Hotelympia and this year is no exception.
In conjunction with this year's show Sovereign is launching a new catalogue. All the latest products are featured and this should be a useful resource for everyone in the industry.

See Sovereign's extensive range of food packaging on stand S2302 at Hotelympia 2010 at Excel 28 February - 4 March 2010. Visit the website www.e-2go.net or call the customer service team in Islington on 020 7841 3170 to request the new catalogue or arrange to visit the London showroom.