The ESPO Management Committee meeting scheduled for 25 March 2026 was set to review the organisation's financial performance and operational progress, with a particular focus on the budget for the upcoming financial year and the commercial strategy. The meeting's agenda also included updates on the Managing Director's progress and the date of the next meeting.

Managing Director's Progress Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update from the Managing Director of ESPO, Kristian Smith, detailing the organisation's actions and progress since the previous meeting. This update was expected to cover financial performance, including sales, margins, and expenditure. The report indicated that ESPO was on track to surpass its full-year surplus target, forecasting a trading surplus of £7.8m-£8.0m. The report also highlighted operational progress, including order processing, delivery lead times, and customer service performance, noting ESPO's achievement of the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award for 2026. Furthermore, the update was to include information on staffing and sickness absence, detailing the reasons for absence among warehouse/shift workers and office-based/hybrid workers, and outlining preventative actions taken to support employee health, safety, and wellbeing.

Budget 2026/27

A significant item on the agenda was the consideration of the Budget for 2026/27, presented by the Managing Director of ESPO and the Consortium Treasurer. This would involve a review of the financial plans and allocations for the upcoming fiscal year.

2026/27 Commercial Plan Summary

The committee was also scheduled to discuss the 2026/27 Commercial Plan Summary, presented by the ESPO Assistant Director, Business Development and Growth. This would likely involve an overview of strategies and objectives for ESPO's commercial activities in the coming year.

Supplementary Information Informing the Progress Report

Additional supplementary information was to be provided to inform the Managing Director's Progress Report. This would likely offer further detail or context on specific aspects of ESPO's operations and performance.

Date of Next Meeting

The date for the subsequent ESPO Management Committee meeting was to be confirmed. The next meeting was scheduled to take place on 17 June 2026 at 11.00 am at Leicestershire County Council.