“Brownlow’s knowledge, accessibility and proactive support has transformed what was once a transactional relationship into a genuine long-term partnership.”
Sykes Seafood has over 160 years of experience supplying high-quality frozen fish and seafood to customers across the UK. Today, the business specialises in providing frozen seafood to a wide range of market sectors, including foodservice, wholesale, retail, and manufacturing.
From sustainability and sourcing through to delivery, Sykes Seafood’s experienced team brings in-depth knowledge across every stage of the supply chain, ensuring consistently high standards and reliable service. As one of the UK’s leading independent frozen seafood suppliers, Sykes Seafood is committed to delivering an unrivalled service from catch to customer, built on nearly two centuries of heritage and expertise.
Sykes Seafood has been a long-standing client of Brownlow Utilities, having joined through strong recommendations from other customers within the food sector. As an energy-intensive business, the client wanted to gain a clearer understanding of its energy and utility costs and identify opportunities to reduce spend where possible.
Managing energy procurement, billing, and reporting internally was time-consuming and resource-heavy. The client wanted a trusted partner to take ownership of these complex and ongoing tasks, providing reassurance, transparency, and expert oversight, allowing internal teams to focus on core business operations.
Brownlow Utilities delivered a fully managed utility strategy designed to reduce cost, improve visibility and remove operational burden.
This included transitioning Sykes Seafood to flexible energy basket procurement supported by dynamic risk management, alongside ongoing invoice validation, real-time budget reporting and access to a bespoke Utility Hub.
A comprehensive historical bill audit was conducted, encompassing a review of ASC (available supply capacity) and TCR (targeted charging review), to identify additional savings.
Brownlow also procured a new water agreement for Sykes Seafood and further managed a complex supplier dispute, protecting the client from potential additional costs.
Greater control over energy costs through flexible procurement
By moving away from traditional fully fixed contracts and adopting a flexible procurement strategy, Sykes Seafood was able to spread its energy purchasing risk across multiple points in the market.
Over the contracted period, this approach delivered a saving of £1,030,075 versus the market, demonstrating the tangible financial value of a well-managed flexible strategy.
This strategy also reduced exposure to price volatility, supporting more competitive energy costs and long-term financial stability.
£100,000+ protected through supplier dispute resolution
Brownlow’s intervention in a complex supplier dispute safeguarded the business from significant financial exposure, demonstrating value beyond standard procurement.
£22,497 saved through water procurement
Brownlow Utilities secured a new water agreement that delivered £22,497 in direct savings for Sykes Seafood. Beyond the immediate financial return, this ensured the business was on a competitive and appropriately structured contract aligned to operational demand.
Ongoing reassurance through invoice validation and transparent reporting
All utility invoices are continually validated by Brownlow Utilities, ensuring charges are accurate and aligned with agreed rates and consumption. This provides Sykes Seafood with peace of mind that they are being billed correctly, removes the risk of unexpected or incorrect charges, and delivers full transparency across their utility spend.
24/7 visibility of utility data via a bespoke Utility Hub
Access to Brownlow Utilities’ Hub gives Sykes Seafood round-the-clock visibility of their energy and utility data through tailored dashboards designed around their specific needs. This improves internal reporting, supports better decision-making, and allows the business to monitor performance easily without relying on manual data collection.
Improved financial planning with real-time budget reporting
Brownlow Utilities tracks real-time energy performance against agreed budgets, giving Sykes Seafood clear and ongoing visibility of their utility expenditure. This allows potential overspends or variances to be identified early and managed proactively, rather than reacting to issues after invoices are received.
Recovered value and reduced admin through historical bill auditing
Through a detailed historical bill audit covering up to six years of utility charges, Brownlow Utilities identified opportunities to recover overpayments on Sykes Seafood’s behalf. Managing the entire process end-to-end removed the administrative burden from internal teams while ensuring no potential savings were missed.
A trusted long-term partner managing complex utilities
With Brownlow Utilities acting as a dedicated partner, Sykes Seafood no longer needs to spend internal time managing complex and time-consuming utility processes. Instead, they benefit from expert oversight, consistent support, and the confidence that all decisions are made with their best interests in mind.
“Sykes have been with Brownlow for over 10 years. In that time, not only have they delivered significant financial savings, they have helped shape and deliver our overall energy strategy.
One of the above and beyond examples was their involvement in resolving an energy supplier dispute, saving us over £100,000. It is things like this, and the ability to pick up the phone and ask about regulations, potential projects, energy markets and wider energy strategy, that truly make the difference.” – Sykes Seafood.
