Perfetti Van Melle appoints Rob Lockley as UK commercial managing director
Perfetti Van Melle has promoted Rob Lockley to lead its commercial operations in the UK, having formerly driven the sales operation of successful start-up, Fulfil Nutrition, writes Neill Barston.
The major confectionery group, which has operations across Europe, as well as in the US, has enjoyed continued success with its core four brands including Mentos, Chupa Chups, Fruit-tella and Smint.
He succeeds Jonny Briscoe, who had spent four years in the post and moved to Lipton Teas, with the new postholder having joined the business 18 months ago as sales director, and according to the business, has made a significant positive contribution to enhancing the company’s portfolio performance.
As the firm noted, Lockley’s appointment as commercial managing director comes at a significant point for the company, which is now valued at £131.6m, and is growing at +3.6% YOY. According to its latest results, it is notably ahead of the market, which has seen a -0.9% value decline since last year.
Moreover, the company described 2024 as “a brilliant year, which saw incredible performance growth” that included innovative new launches such as Mentos Discovery, which delivered £1.3m in value sales alone.
Perfetti Van Melle brand’s value growth of +9.1% in the final month of 2024, driven by Mints and Sweets, contributed to a market value share of 4.85%2. With Rob at the helm, 2025 is set to be another big year, capitalising on innovation and growing distribution across all channels.
Lockley is determined to continue driving growth by implementing clear focuses across the business. Over the past 30 years, he has worked with some of the UK’s largest grocery brands including; Kelloggs, CCEP, Mars Wrigley and Muller. His experience in blue chip companies paired with his work at start-up Fulfil nutrition, where he helped prepare the brand for acquisition by Ferrero has fuelled him with a passion to help challengers come out on top.
Speaking of his appointment, Rob Lockley said: “I am thrilled to be taking this next step in my career with Perfetti Van Melle. I’ve spent the last 18 months immersing myself back into the world of confectionery, which in the UK is now worth £1.6Bn, the opportunities are endless!
“The retail environment is moving at a rapid pace and we need to ensure we’re evolving alongside it, bringing fresh thinking and new shopper missions to the forefront. Our brands exude quality, which is half the battle given taste is the number one purchase driver. As challengers we have a mischievous role to play; we can be fun, bold and disruptive to achieve our goals. In 2025 we will be agile, leveraging the skills and capabilities of our wonderful team in a market that is ripe for change.”
