Erudus and Fairway split to become “truly independent”

Erudus and Fairway Foodservice have agreed to split in a strategic move from the two businesses

Data and Saas (Software as a Service) company Erudus was originally formed in 2007 with Fairway as its parent company and while the two will continue to work together, they will now be separate entities.

The split will also see Erudus Chief Operating Officer Jon Shayler be promoted to Chief Executive, while former Fairway CEO Chris Binge will become chairman.

As part of Fairway, Erudus has made the ascension from in-house tool to one of the food industry’s leading sources of data, with more than 1,200 manufacturers directly adding their latest product specification to the Erudus Data Pool to be accessed and used by 165 wholesalers and more than 85,000 caterers and retailers.

Erudus experienced major growth in 2014, when the introduction of FIC (Food Information to Consumers) and FIR (Food Information Regulations) legislation put clear perimeters on how allergen information should be made available and presented.

And with the continued importance of allergen management, as well as the implementation of Natasha’s Law, and increasing consumer demand around dietary suitability labelling, the business is set to experience further expansion in the coming months.

This makes it the perfect time to make the break from Fairway, whose help and support have been invaluable to the development and success of Erudus, and capitalise on the opportunity to become the truly independent data solution it wishes to be to benefit the entire industry.

As part of the changes, Erudus is currently seeking to appoint a non-executive board director to add to the team.

“Chris [Binge] showed exceptional market insight when investing in the development of Erudus in 2007,” said Fairway Foodservice Managing Director Coral Rose, who replaced Binge after his move.

“The platform has expanded to become an industry leading database however it’s continued affiliation to Fairway has inhibited growth as some customers consider this a conflict of interest.

“The timing is now right for a complete separation of the two businesses with Chris able to support Jon [Shayler] on the continued reach of Erudus leaving Fairway able to focus completely on our core priority which is the development of services and support for our members.”

Shayler also paid homage to Fairway’s impact in Erudus’s journey, while looking ahead to the future.

“The support of Fairway allowed Erudus to grow as a business and we couldn’t have achieved what we have to date without them,” said Shayler.

“I’d also like to extend my gratitude to InStudio for their contribution in helping to progress Erudus in the early days.

“It has always been the intention that once Erudus could support itself we would look to make it a standalone business – to give it a truly independent position and allow us to exist as an impartial industry solution.

“We wish Fairway well, and look forward to a long working relationship with the whole buying group.”

Chris Binge Coral Rose Erudus Fairway Foodservice Jon Shayler