Fix
- Revenue, margin & cost controls
- Supplier reset & renegotiation
- Operational & commercial controls
- Fix the basics
Commercial leadership for food & drink businesses when things need to change.
Chris
Needle
If you’re a food or drink business facing customers and suppliers while juggling costs, margins, controls, strategy, growth or leadership, I step in and make it work commercially and practically, improving performance where it counts.
Let’s talk
Commercial performance
What do I actually do?
At key moments, I bring experience and commercial focus into businesses to fix what isn’t working and improve what is, delivering better results.
Build
- Retail strategy & customer plans
- NPD to shelf: pricing & launch
- Commercial models that make money
- P&L ownership & growth plans
Lead
- Founder & board alignment
- Team structure & accountability
- Board / investor-ready commercial story
- Retailer relationship navigation
Start-ups & scale-upsTurnaroundsFMCG brandsPrivate label businesses
Customers, suppliers and teams
Proven
track record
Experience across major UK retailers, leading manufacturers, brands, private label and multiple food categories.
“Chris quickly identified where value was being lost, took ownership of the problem, and worked end-to-end to deliver a significantly stronger commercial outcome.”
“Chris brought clarity at a point where we had a lot going on and needed to make some big commercial calls quickly. He cut through the noise, got to the root of the issues fast, and helped us focus on what actually mattered.”
“Chris combines strategic thinking with a very practical commercial approach. He doesn’t just produce recommendations; he challenges, makes connections and helps turn the thinking into action.”
Where I add most value
So if you’re…
- A founder-led scale-up in UK retail
- A large FMCG private label or branded business
- A PE-backed business needing commercial rigour
- A board or investor needing an independent voice
StraightUp Consulting Ltd
Let’s talk.
If something commercially important needs fixing, building or leading, tell me what is happening. We can work out quickly whether I’m the right person to help.
Commercial leadership, sourcing to sellingFractional CCO / CEO / MDNED rolesImprovement projects & turnaroundsStrategic reset sessionsAd hoc consultancy