Professionalism, Performance, People and…Pesto – B P Collins offers the perfect recipe of commercial acumen and rapport with Sacla UK.
‘Bleasure’ – a word that Clare Blampied OBE, Managing Director of Sacla UK uses to describe Jo Davis, Partner and Practice Group Leader in the Employment practice at B P Collins. She explains:
‘It’s when business and pleasure come together. Jo and her team guide us with the utmost professionalism. Her commercial acumen is impressive and I sometimes think she knows the business better than I do. But we always have a laugh and a joke and that’s very important too.’
Saclà Italia is the hugely popular Italian pesto and pasta sauce brand, which was founded by Secondo and his wife Piera in Asti, Piedmont in north-west Italy over 75 years ago. Still run by the original founding family, all of its products are made in Italy to traditional recipes using fresh ingredients.
Now a household name in this country too, Sacla UK was established in 1991 and is based in Beaconsfield. Clare was part of the Queen’s New Year Honour’s list in December 2015 for her dedication to the food industry over the past 25 years and – according to the Bucks Free Press – ‘for introducing pesto to the country.’ The nation’s love affair with this Italian food has meant that Sacla UK achieves an annual turnover of £30 million.
Efficient cross practice service
B P Collins has advised the company for the past 16 years on a range of issues due to its cross practice offering which is all under one roof. That’s one of the key reasons why Sacla UK has worked for so long with the firm.
‘From employment advice through to moving our commercial premises three times, every instruction has been followed through to a high standard. It’s also very efficient and cost effective for a business to have all of its legal services provided by the same firm.’
She continues:
‘The team at Sacla are like one big family and B P Collins is an extension of that. It’s says a lot that I know the firm’s car park security code. We trust each other implicitly.’
Celebrity management
B P Collins has carried out several pieces of work since 2000 but one of Sacla’s highlights was the launch of its Lawrence Dallaglio Pasta sauce range – a hugely exciting addition to the Sacla UK range. B P Collins’ Corporate and Commercial team guided the company through its engagement with the celebrity involved and their management – a first for Sacla UK – drafted secure contracts and advised on the financial aspects of the deal.
Guiding the company through seismic changes
Looking back over Sacla UK’s relationship with B P Collins, Clare observes that a lot has changed across the business, particularly in the employment sector. People now place more emphasis on flexible working, red tape has increased and there have been a huge amount of legislation changes – all of which has amounted to a plethora of paper work, record keeping and due diligence.
‘But B P Collins has kept on top of it all by offering guidance throughout, being available for regular catch ups and taking away the headache of good record keeping, which has ensured that our employees are happy and the business is a success.’
Managing and retaining staff
Looking to the future, Sacla UK has ambitious plans and very much view B P Collins as playing a supporting role in achieving those. Clare explains:
‘We want to double the size of the business by 2020 and to achieve this we need to attract, recruit and retain people who live and breathe Sacla’s ‘Italian WowHow’ – a term we use to describe talented, clever and spirited employees who will travel with the company and contribute to its growth. B P Collins will not simply advise on the legalities around employing people, but also how to encourage them to be the best that they can be and commit to the company.’
Reaching the top
Finally, as one of the few female MDs in the UK, Clare is asked to impart some advice for women wishing to progress in their career and fulfil their potential:
‘I truly don’t think there is a distinction between what men and women should do to reach the top. Work hard, be the best that you can be and always have a role model and mentor. And never forget to eat, drink and sleep well!’
An ethos undoubtedly adopted at B P Collins, considering it is one of the top 200 law firms in the UK. And the pesto it keeps in its kitchen for emergency lunches might have something to do with its success too.
