Charlie Bigham’s posts sales rise, with high demand for ready meals

The company behind upmarket ready meals maker Charlie Bigham’s saw annual sales top £80 million during the pandemic, results show.

Bighams, which makes its products in kitchens in London and Wells, Somerset, sold more than 18.2 million dishes in the year to August 2020.

For part of that period people spent more time at home than typical: restaurants and pubs were temporarily closed for months, and work from home where possible guidance was in place.

Accounts just filed from Bighams said: “The onset of the Covid-19 virus caused some level of operational disruption especially impacting order patterns and raw material availability, but overall increased what was already a very positive momentum behind the brand as consumers look for high quality dining alternatives at home.”

New products and increased advertising also contributed to growth, it said.