Turning up the heat: Flexeserve’s 2022 in review

As the world leader in hot-holding, this year we’ve focused on developing our global presence. The past 12 months also saw our ‘greatest achievement to date’ – winning a Queen’s Award for Innovation 2022 for our flagship heated display, Flexeserve Zone.

Global CEO, Jamie Joyce, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the team for their amazing efforts this year. This was our first year back to a sense of global normality in terms of events and travel, and we have made the most of every opportunity to help operators around the world sell more and waste less hot food.”

Coming to the Americas

Our progress in establishing Flexeserve in the America and enhancing our support for customers in this market have advanced significantly in 2022. We thank the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Embassy in London for their ongoing support, which was cemented with their visit to our HQ earlier this year.

We have been delighted to welcome Dave Hinton, a prominent, highly experienced foodservice executive to the position of Flexeserve’s President of the Americas. Dave’s appointment marked a major milestone for our new American subsidiary, Flexeserve Inc., and we are so excited to launch our new HQ in Southlake (Dallas), TX in the new year.

Jamie said: “We have plenty more to reveal about Flexeserve Inc. in the months to come, but announcing Dave’s appointment and our upcoming facility in Southlake was a landmark development for the business. I cannot wait to see how Dave will bring Flexeserve to new markets across North, Central and South America.”

Receiving high praise

This year, our flagship unit, Flexeserve Zone, the only unit able to hold food at different temperatures in the same unit, won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2022. The award was marked by a Buckingham Palace reception, attended by Jamie and hosted by HM The King and HRH The Princess Royal.

Jamie said: “We regard our Queen’s Award for Innovation this year as our greatest achievement to date. It was the culmination of years of pioneering development and implementing Flexeserve Zone with customers around the globe. The award recognised not just the technology itself, but the transformational impact it has had on the foodservice industry.”

Flexeserve was also recognised by the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce at the GBCC Awards, winning both Excellence in International Business and Excellence in Sales and Marketing.

Director of Customer Experience, Warwick Wakefield, said: “Flexeserve Zone has been a game-changer in hot food-to-go, offering unrivalled hold times and food quality. It’s a real honour for our innovative technology and aspirational team to be recognised with the Queen’s Award and of course by the Chamber, with whom we do so much work.”

Flexeserve back on the world stage

In the first full year back to in-person events, the Flexeserve team of experts has flown the flag for our industry-leading equipment and expertise around the world. Exhibitions have always been an excellent opportunity for us to demonstrate the potential of our hot air recirculation technology, diverse product range and all-encompassing service, Flexeserve Solution.

In the UK, we returned once again to the lunch! Show and made our first ever appearance at the Restaurant and Takeaway Innovation Expo at London’s ExCel. We also appeared in partnership with RATIONAL at Hotel, Restaurant & Catering and sponsored MCA’s Food to Go Conference.

Internationally, we returned to GulfHost, the Middle East’s most influential exhibition for hospitality buyers. We also made our debut at NACS (National Association of C-stores) in Las Vegas in October. Here, not only were we able to share the opportunities of Flexeserve’s hot-holding with so many great operators in such a key market, but we were also honoured to have Flexeserve Zone Rear Feed voted as a NACS Top 10 Cool New Product.

Warwick said: “Events are always so important to our business, and these past 12 months have been a great return to meeting people in person. Across the globe, we’ve been demonstrating how we can help hot food operators increase profitability and reduce energy costs, whilst improving the experience of the customer, through our unrivalled technology and all-encompassing, Flexeserve Solution.”

“Being included in NACS’s Top Cool New Products was not just a great win for the team, it was a clear demonstration that the convenience market recognises the potential of our technology. Flexeserve Zone Rear Feed is perfect for this environment because it’s designed for restocking behind the counter. This means you can achieve our game-changing hot-holding even in a small footprint.”

Looking back, looking forward

Jamie concluded: “It’s fantastic to see not just what our team has achieved, but what our customers have achieved this year too. I’m incredibly proud of all our Partners and their dedication to making this happen.

“Of course, we have also seen sadness in 2022, with the loss of our Founder, Alan Nuttall at the age of 80. Alan’s commitment to Flexeserve cannot be overstated, and we will continue to honour his vision and passion for innovation as we grow.

“We look forward to 2023, with the opening of our new HQ for Flexeserve Inc. in Texas. I’m also excited to see our growing team of experts – which now includes Holly Francis as Head of Customer Development and Dirk Wissmann as Operational Support & Development Manager – bring true hot-holding to new markets.

“To support this growth strategy, we have created a new Board of Management, appointing from within, with Mark Manley as Director of Manufacturing Operations, and Richard Birkin as Director of Supply Chain and Operations. These new roles strengthen Flexeserve as the hot-holding partner to major brands, and support its international expansion.”

With appearances at NAFEM and EuroShop early in the new year, the Home of Hot-Holding continues to build on its successes and help more hot food operators to change their game.