Item A: Green Plate
Green Plate is a small business based in Norwich, owned by Marcus Oyelaran, a sole trader. Marcus started the business in 2022 after noticing that very few shops near him sold fresh plant-based ready meals. Green Plate sells six different meals, each priced at £6.50, from a stall at two farmers' markets each week and through its own website. Marcus employs three part-time staff.
Marcus talks to customers at the market every week. He has found that many of them are students and young workers who want a healthy meal that can be heated in five minutes. Others are older customers who have been advised to eat less meat but do not enjoy cooking from scratch. After several customers said the portions were too small to share, Marcus added a larger 'sharing' meal priced at £11.00, which now sells out most weeks.
Two large supermarkets in Norwich sell plant-based ready meals for as little as £3.00. Marcus believes his meals taste fresher because they are cooked the day before, and that his customers value being able to speak to the person who cooked their food.
Marcus is considering adding a 'value' range of three plant-based meals priced at £4.00 to compete with the supermarkets.
Table 1 shows Green Plate's sales revenue for four weeks in October.
| Week |
Sales revenue (£) |
| 1 |
1 430 |
| 2 |
1 560 |
| 3 |
1 210 |
| 4 |
1 640 |
