Wanis – 60 years and counting

Since its east London beginnings in 1964, it’s safe to say that Wanis International Foods has undergone a dramatic transformation…

In London 1964 an idea was born. Long before chicken tikka, jerk and jollof were household names, a young and ambitious husband-and-wife team had a vision of the future; one that would culminate in Wanis International Foods, one of the most successful world food businesses in the UK

When Tulsidas Wadhwani, known as Mr Wani, came to the UK in the 1960s, he immediately spotted an opportunity to create a business. He, along with other migrants arriving into London, had been searching for products to provide an authentic taste of home but had been left wanting.

With his connections overseas, he began to source, import and retail foods from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean and with this, his business was born in Caledonian Road. As demand grew, so too did his ambition and by the late 1960s, he’d bought a bigger warehouse, close to Spitalfields Market, on Commercial Road.

Unlike many of its competitors, Wanis, as it quickly became known, would open its doors at 5am to enable retailers to stock up before opening their stores. In doing so, they also poached customers from Spitalfields Market, offering competitive pricing on fresh produce on account of not being subjected to the market’s tariffs.

And this was just the beginning. Mr Wani, who met his wife on a brief trip to India, got married and returned to the UK with her, before starting a family. As the family grew, so too did the business, with Mrs Wani becoming increasingly involved.

“As the business grew and grew, my mum became more and more involved, but it was far from straightforward,” said Sanjay Wadhwani, who now heads up the business with a board of directors with a huge breadth of industry experience.

“We’d started importing fresh produce in bulk, but frequent power cuts led to huge losses as we’d sunk so much equity in stock. It was devastating, but it was Mum who recognised that we couldn’t keep doing this and we needed to change the business. She may have been newer to the business, but she was the driving force behind the big changes they made.”

REFOCUS

And change the business they did, quickly moving focus from fresh to canned produce such as mango and breadfruit, and more packaged foods which were more in demand than ever.

“During the 80s London saw a huge influx of Nigerian migrants, so we immediately added Nigerian products to our range,” says Sanjay. “As other nationalities moved to London, we added those into the mix. We also began to sell some English products, and exported those to Nigeria too.

“Through the 1980s and 1990s, we added more and more ethnic goods to reflect the area’s demographic, until we had become the UK’s biggest one-stop shop for specialist ethnic foods.”

When Mr Wani became ill, it was Mrs Wani (pictured above in 1984) that took over the business. She steered the business through early turbulent times and introduced new stock and finance procedures which drove the business forward. Sanjay, who had gone to university with dreams of an alternative career, then finished university and returned home to join the business.

“Joining the business wasn’t ever part of my plans, but honestly, it was the best thing I ever did,” he says, as the business celebrates its 60th birthday. “I became more and more involved, before taking over. I then got married and my wife joined the business, and my brother also came on board.”

For Sanjay, having Kapil join the family business in 1999 was a real positive. “He brought with him a great perspective from his career in finance, whereas I was entrenched in our business. Working together, we had a vision of how to modernise for the future. We blended my knowledge and understanding of our customer base with his professional experience elsewhere and together, we made improvements and drove sales.”

GROWTH

Since then, the company has grown and grown, expanding to become a £140m turnover business employing than 200 employees from 28 different nationalities, speaking more than 25 different languages.

In addition, Wanis International Foods also exports to 45 different countries and supplies all major wholesalers and supermarkets across the country.

So what would Sanjay describe as the secret to their success? “Without a doubt, our decision to specialise in world foods has been the main reason for our incredible growth”, he says.

“The British palate has been criticised over the years for being bland and unadventurous, but actually, as a nation, we’re amazing at trying new things – far better than a lot of Europe.

“Snacking in particular is a huge opportunity as there’s a huge appetite for new, innovative products that offer something a little different. We keep a close eye on which snacks are popular overseas and then we trial them to see if they take off here, such as coconut peanuts, which is one of our big sellers right now.

“The UK is really multinational, especially in the big cities, and that diversity needs to be recognised and celebrated, which is what we do with our continually evolving product range.

Sanjay is also quick to pay testament to the Wanis team. “My biggest piece of advice to anyone running a business is to appreciate your staff. You can’t do everything yourself and remember, a great team will make you look good.”

Sanjay and Kapil are committed to preserving the family feel for the business, 60 years later. “We’re a family business through and through”, he says. “We don’t want to just employ you, we want you to feel supported and part of something bigger. We hold events, such as a summer barbecue and a Christmas party, and we tell our team to bring their family – we want to know their partners and their children. It keeps the spirit of family alive, and this can be a challenge as businesses get bigger.”

For Sanjay, what is crystal clear is his love for the business. “Honestly, I love coming to work each day. I set the alarm early and arrive at the depot first thing and begin my day with peace and quiet. As the team arrives, then the customers and the buzz in the depot builds, I couldn’t be happier.”

The perfect tribute to a business which has flourished under the guidance of Mr Wani, Mrs Wani and now their sons.

meet the member Wanis International Foods world foods