Client Area
Vol. I · Private Investor Memorandum
A Career in Commercial Command

Solomon
Adam James.

Three decades turning dormant FMCG & consumer goods portfolios into market-leading, profitable businesses — across Tesco, Asda, Amazon, Boots, Morrison, Hobbycraft, Albert Heijn, Metro AG and Coop.

Built business with
Tesco◆Asda◆Morrison◆Amazon◆Boots UK◆Hobbycraft◆Albert Heijn◆Metro AG◆TJX◆Aveve◆Carrefour◆Monoprix◆The Range◆Coop◆Lidl◆Tesco◆Asda◆Morrison◆Amazon◆Boots UK◆Hobbycraft◆Albert Heijn◆Metro AG◆TJX◆Aveve◆Carrefour◆Monoprix◆The Range◆Coop◆Lidl◆
§ 01 — The Numbers

A record,
in figures.

Reported outcomes across twenty-five years of commercial leadership. Every figure below stems from businesses personally operated — not inferred, not modelled.

#01
£0m

New business won at Wilton Brands — growing EU book from £2m to £25m

#02
0%

Margin achieved on own-label craft range launched at EM Richford

#03
0%+

Business growth delivered with Asda at Bon Bon Buddies

#04
0%

Cost-base reduction during strategic restructuring at EM Richford

§ 02 — The Operator

"A proven cross-functional senior manager, winner of profitable new business across a breadth of customers and channels."

— Solomon A. James

Commercial command —
across every retail tier
that counts.

Thirty years of rebuilding P&Ls in FMCG & consumer goods. Sol James has operated as General Manager, Commercial & Procurement Director and Business Unit Director across companies ranging from insolvency-turnaround to fast-scaling European operators. His pattern is consistent: enter a stalled business, restore relationships, re-engineer supply, unlock new channels — then double, triple or decuple the book.
i.

Relationship capital

Direct, recurring access to buyers and category heads at Tesco, Asda, Morrison, Amazon, Boots, Albert Heijn, Metro AG, TJX — built over decades of consistent execution.

ii.

Commercial turnaround

Specialist in rescuing accounts, restructuring margin, and converting loss-making relationships to profit — e.g. £525k swing at Morrison, £520k swing at Asda.

iii.

New-market launch

Brand construction from zero: natural healthcare with Natural Solutions Group, sole retail partner for Amazon EU, launches agreed with Boots UK, Tesco Ireland, The Health Store.

iv.

International supply

Redesigned distributor networks and collaborative direct-import programmes across the EU — opening logistics centres, consolidating SKUs, reducing supplier counts without losing range.

§ 03 — Case Files

Four businesses,
four turnarounds.

Selected engagements. Each mandate delivered against a stalled or failing P&L, with outcomes recorded inside the receiving company's books.

Business Unit Director — Europe

“From £2m to £25m, margin lifted to 55%.”

Transformed the European arm of a US non-food and food operator. Won £23m of new recurring revenue across Asda, Albert Heijn, Metro AG, Aveve, TJX and Amazon. Opened a UK/EU logistics centre to enable direct-to-retailer supply, rebuilt the distributor network with tighter brand control, and launched a collaborative direct-import programme for SKUs into the continent.

  • 01£23m of new business secured
  • 02Gross margin improved +8 pts to 55%
  • 03UK/EU logistics centre established
  • 04Brand control restored across 20+ countries
§ 04 — Chronology

Thirty years,
on the record.

From graduate territory manager to general management and now independent consultancy — a continuous operating career inside consumer goods, with academic grounding at the University of Swansea and Ashridge Business School.

2019
Founder
SolJames Ltd

Management consultancy — independent advisory

2018
General Manager
Natural Solutions Group

New-brand launch, pan-EU retail

2017
Commercial & Procurement Director
EM Richford Ltd

£6m new business, 70% cost reduction

2013
Senior Business Manager
Sisters Food Group

Asda & Morrison turnaround

2013
National Account Manager
Fruitapeel Ltd

Lidl private-label contract secured

2008
Business Unit Director — Europe
Wilton Brands Inc.

£2m → £25m, +8pts margin

2007
National Account Manager
Serious Food Company

£28m Tesco book rescued

2005
National Account Controller
Bon Bon Buddies

£33m group turnover, +100% Asda growth

2002
Business Account Manager
Premier Foods

Multi-category account leadership

1998
National Account Manager
Albert Fisher Group

Retail account development

1995
Sales Representative
G Costa

Field sales foundation

1990
Territory Manager
HP Foods

Graduate entry to FMCG

Education
Ashridge Business School · University of Swansea (BA French) · King Henry VIII School
StrategyCategory MgmtP&LTurnaround
§ 05 — Domain & Craft

The operating
toolkit.

What an investor receives under a SolJames Ltd mandate — a board-ready general manager with deep category expertise and a functional command spanning commercial, operational and strategic levers.

A.

Commercial Strategy

  • Category Management
  • Retail Marketing
  • Branding
  • Pricing & Margin Architecture
  • Go-to-Market Planning
B.

Account Leadership

  • Tier-1 Grocery (Tesco, Asda, Morrison, Coop)
  • Online & Pure-Play (Amazon UK/EU, eBay)
  • Drugstore & Health (Boots UK, The Health Store)
  • International Distributors
  • TV Shopping & Direct Channels
C.

Operations & Supply

  • Procurement & Sourcing
  • EU Logistics & Direct Import
  • SKU Rationalisation
  • Supplier Consolidation
  • Customer Service Design
D.

General Management

  • P&L Ownership
  • Team Restructuring
  • Turnaround & Rescue Mandates
  • Innovation & Product Development
  • Budgeting & Forecasting
§ 06 — Fluency

Three markets,
natively.

English
Native / Fluent

Business operations

Français
Fluent

BA French, University of Swansea

Español
Fluent

Conducted commercial in EU & LATAM

§ 07 — Correspondence

Open a
conversation.

Introductions welcome from family offices, private equity, consumer-focused funds and strategic partners — for advisory mandates, board seats or operating-partner engagements.

EntitySolJames Ltd — Co. No. 70229
ActivityManagement consultancy
BasedHounslow, United Kingdom
LinkedIn/in/sol-james-61b3067

Private & confidential. No information shared with third parties.