John West

With their mission ‘Healthy living, healthy oceans’ John West is currently growing incredibly fast in the canned fish category. Their large variety in fish species and products helps consumers to enjoy eating tasty and healthy fish products. At John West, they believe that everyone should be able to enjoy quality fish, as these species are naturally rich in healthy protein and nutrients. And that makes it the perfect ingredient for an active life and a must have on the weekly menu.

The history of the company starts over 160 years ago, when Scotsman John West starts to bring salmon from the Pacific Ocean to Great Britain. He quickly establishes his name as a fish supplier and opens his first canned fish company only ten years later. From that point on, the company keeps growing steadily. In 2010 Thai Union, the world’s largest producer of fish and shellfish, takes over the business. John West currently offers products with salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel and anchovies.

In The Netherlands John West is the market leader in canned fish. A position they worked hard for by constantly introducing new fish products and developing practical packaging, like no drain tuna and easy peel wrappings. They also brought innovative solutions for on the go and lunch products. Currently, further investment in sustainability, innovation and category management are the focal point of John West in Europe. Turnover in The Netherlands has increased immensely since covid-19. Retaining this growth, attracting new target groups, increasing the moments of use and strengthening their position in retail are important goals for the near future. The great thing is that all of these offer creative, new marketing opportunities.

Sustainability goals

Sustainable development is essential to John West/Thai Union. As they put it: ‘It’s critical to our ability to serve as a responsible corporate citizen; it’s imperative to the future of our people, communities and planet; and it is how we will achieve our mission to be the seafood industry’s leading agent of positive change.’ For this reason, John West works closely with multiple suppliers and specialists to make their products more sustainable. They actively support their fish suppliers to get MSC-certified. An initiative that put them at the top position of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Consumers can track the origin of the canned fish they buy online with a tracking code.

At the office of John West in Utrecht a team of about ten people are dedicated and ambitious to retain their market leadership and expand their growth.

Read the interview with European Country Manager, Arno Snoey (in Dutch)