How we’ve been supporting our clients, Jon Dow Distribution

At EQ, whilst we all navigate through these challenging times, our clients continue to be our priority. We remain in constant contact to provide relevant advice and support, every step of the way.

One of those clients is, Jon Dow Distribution, specialist suppliers to the food and drink industry across the North East of Scotland. Established over 20 years ago, the Forfar based company is now run by brother and sister, Graham and Gillian Muir and employs five members of staff including three delivery drivers to service their 170 customers.

When the immediate impact of the coronavirus lockdown hit, over two thirds of their customers closed their doors due to the measures that were announced, meaning turnover was significantly reduced. However, they were still operating to service those that remained who already had delivery services in place.

Gillian and Graham did not want to furlough their staff, praising the agility and adaptability of their small team who remained in constant contact with their supply chain, responding to the needs of the industry.

Gillian Muir, Director of Jon Dow Distribution, commented, “We wanted to make sure we supported our customers and suppliers as much we could. That meant having some open and honest discussions, but thankfully, we have brilliant longstanding relationships with many of them and we found a way to continue. I am so proud of our close-knit team; we have managed to adapt and respond to the situation and it’s allowed us to fast track plans we had been considering for some time. Our business has traditional values, but we want to continue to innovate and modernise our practices to make our customers lives easier.”

They sought advice from their accountant and business advisor, David Morrison, who helped them navigate the unexpected situation we all now find ourselves in.

David Morrison, EQ Partner, commented, “As a new client of ours, we worked quickly to understand how the business operates so we could provide relevant advice, at a time when it’s needed most. We pride ourselves on offering genuine business support along with the normal compliance work, so we have kept in contact with the team to ensure they know we are here to help them. Along with providing guidance on the ever-evolving loan and grant funding available, our EQ team completed their Management Accounts to help them make accurate decisions based on up to date information. Gillian, Graham and the team have a brilliant business and have great plans on how to move the business forward, despite the ongoing circumstances and I look forward to helping them achieve their business goals.”

Gillian added, “The advice from EQ has been exceptional, they have been so responsive, keeping in touch with us and sending on information that we can use to help. They have not only provided great financial support, but they’ve been a sounding board for us, that reassuring voice that we are doing the right thing. Thanks to their help and advice, we’ve managed to use what would’ve otherwise been a worrying time to reflect and figure out how best to move forward and proceed with plans we’ve been discussing for a while. Our focus is to put new procedures in place to help our customers and suppliers and I know we will have the support from EQ to help us do that.”

If you are in the food and drink industry and looking for a new supplier, the team at Jon Dow Distribution will be happy to help. You can find out more and contact the team at 01307 465689 or via http://www.jondowdistribution.com/.

For more information or support for your business, you can contact us by calling one of our offices.