Perthshire butchers Simon Howie had a “very good” business year after posting a profit of £5.5 million in 2023.
The meat and veg product supplier had a turnover of more than £29m to the year ending December 2023.
Pre-tax profits for the firm rose by more than 24% compared to 2022, rising from £4.4m to £5.5m.
Dividends of £2.6m were paid out during 2023, the company’s annual accounts reveal. This was up from £1.6m on 2022.
The company recorded 118 employees working with them during the last year, up from 114 on 2022.
And a rise in sales of haggis, bacon and black pudding in England is credited for the profit increase, managing director Simon Howie said.
Simon Howie thanks council and government
He added the company had invested heavily in renewable energy production, which includes the approved wind turbine project and solar battery system.
In his strategic report within the accounts, he said: “2023 was a very good year for the business, not withstanding the usual challenges of rising material costs, couple with labour rate increases.
“Our brand equity and strong marketing focus helped us weather these and grow our sales figures.
“A slow-down in the rate of increase relating to energy costs was welcomed.
“The business took the decision to invest in renewable power generation.
“This began in late 2023 and was a welcome boost.
“A recent application to increase our solar battery system with a 2.3 MW wind turbine was consented by the local authority.
“This is to be commended as an act of support for the Scottish manufacturing sector.
“The business is keen to acknowledge Perth and Kinross Council and the Scottish Government in this regard.
“The changes to our carbon footprint will be significant and we hope to report a reduction of over 500 tonnes per year within the next 12-24 months.”
English haggis sales see Simon Howie profits rise
Most of the company’s income, Simon added, was made through the sale of meat and vegetarian products to some of the country’s largest supermarkets.
“Our dry cured bacon, black pudding and haggis lines continue to be the UK’s best selling SKUs in their categories.
“We are pleased to see that a lot of our growth came from sales south of the Scottish border.”
Conversation