Survival of the fittest

- Published: 05 May, 2006

Butcher Frank Dean, has maintained traditions and standards over the years to establish a business that has survived the ravages of the trade for three decades.

WHEN SOMEONE dedicates their life to achieving excellence in a particular industry - collecting a myriad of awards along the way - it can be hugely demoralising when the traditions on which the business was built start to erode. Add to this a decline in red meat sales, increased competition from the supermarkets and innumerable food scares, and it would be difficult not to have visions of doom and gloom.

But butcher Frank Dean seems to have weathered these trials in his 32-year career. His shop, of the same name, in Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex, remains a thriving business and has survived several earth-shattering food scares, although he acknowledges that his passion for butchery has diminished over the years.

He says: "I still love the industry but it annoys me at times. Food scares can be so damaging and yet they are often exaggerated: around 35,000 Norfolk chickens were slaughtered at the end of April because one was found to have bird flu. This will undoubtedly lead to increased prices because there will be fewer chickens. Every time there is a food scare it knocks the trade - permanently."

He adds: "The added burden of licensing regulations, introduced five years ago as a result of the BSE scare, were a further headache for butchers who already had to comply with strict guidelines on the handling of meat. This has since been abolished - so t was an unnecessary piece of red tape."

Dean is confident his business will ride this latest storm, since the barbecue season is unlikely to deter the annual rush for chicken, even though he does source his chickens from Norfolk. "My customers trust me to stock the best meat - that's why I buy Norfolk chicken. I don't think this latest scare will make a huge difference to sales, as long as there is no further outbreaks," he confirms.

Trust in Scotland

Dean says that paying more for quality gives him a competitive edge. As well as buying Norfolk chicken, he sources his beef and lamb from Scotland through Aberdeen wholesaler, Scottish Premier Meats. He explains: "Butchers are dropping like ?ies at the moment, but I survive due to the quality of my meat. The meat I get from Scotland is consistently good. If I hadn't sold it, I don't think I'd be here today. Despite the food scares, customers trust Scottish meat - it really has kept the business a? oat."

Dean also cites the confidence he has in Scottish beef and lamb as the reason he hasn't gone into the organic market. "I tried organic meat a few years ago, but the meat I sell couldn't be any more organic - I mean Scottish meat reared in the Highlands - what more do you need?"

Dean has staunchly held on to butchery traditions and to this day he is still buying whole carcases. He hangs, chops and rolls all of his meat. "Not many shops buy whole carcases now. A lot of butchers prefer to buy rumps of steak instead because there is less skill and work involved. In this sense standards of butchery have dropped over the years: many butchers haven't retained the skills and therefore don't have the knowledge any more. A good butcher is like a surgeon: he can do everything on a carcase, but a lot wouldn't know where to start these days," he says.

Diversification

The average cost of a side of beef is £400, which translates into big profits if you get the cuts right, says Dean. "You need to know what customers want and you also have to be versatile in your presentation. I do a lot of basting with minted lamb and Chinese chicken, for example, to cater to the barbecue market."

Another key aspect to Dean's survival is his ability to adapt. He says the butchery industry has seen radical changes take place over the past 12 years. But this is also a period during which his business evolved - from selling only meat, to a shop with a wide range of pies and a limited selection of cheese.

"We sell a third of the beef now that we did 20 years ago," says Dean. "At that time beef was the main seller, and there were six butchers working in the shop. Now we are down to just three. However, we've been able to maintain sales by diversifying into pies and cooked meat. Pies and brawn together probably account for 25% of our trade," he explains.

Dean serves eight different pies, including lamb Italiano. The pastry comes from John Brown, but otherwise the pies are prepared on site. Between 1999 and 2002 they scooped three South of England Pie Champion awards. In addition he cooks his own ham, produces home made brawn, and makes six varieties of sausages. "We stick to stuff we can cook ourselves," he says.

For now, Dean's only hope is that, when retirement beckons, he will see his legacy pass in to the hands of an equally committed butcher, rather than an estate agent.

Customer pro?le

Over the 32 years, Dean has served three generations of customers, although he's seeing less and less of the younger generation. He says: "Youngsters don't buy meat from the butchers very much any more - they tend to go for the pre-packed supermarket stuff, and ready meals."

Dean suggests that the decline of traditional shops in the same parade - which all had a symbiotic relationship - is to blame, and that the changing dynamics that have seen hairdressers and estate agents dominate, has had a detrimental effect. "You can be the best butcher in the world, but if you don't have the backing from other shops in the parade then it's really hard work."

Shop: Frank Dean, Goring-by-Sea

Opening hours: 7am-5pm, half-days Wednesday and Saturday

Annual turnover: £150-£180,000

Most popular cuts: Rolled sirloin and four ribs, briskets

Specialities: Pies

Staff: Three - Dean, his wife Suzy, and one part-timer. Delivers to customers three times a week

Busiest times: Summer, due to barbecue season, and Christmas, where demand is increasing for beef