£30m boom as Welsh food firm smashes sales record

Sales at a Welsh food wholesaler have smashed records as the fast-growing family firm revealed a near 20 per cent surge to £30 million in just six months.

Cricieth-based Harlech Foodservice, which also has sites in Chester, Carmarthen, Aberbargoed and Telford, says its rapid expansion over the past five years has transformed the business into a major UK player.

Harlech, crowned UK Food Wholesaler of the Year in April, has seen sales rocket after opening new depots in South Wales and Shropshire, driving fresh growth across North Wales, the North West and the West Midlands.

Since it accepted the award at a glittering ceremony in London it has seen business in South Wales and the West Midlands up by a massive 68 per cent with 117 new customers already added this year.

In the North West, across Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire 390 new accounts have been opened with sales up 46 per cent.

In its North Wales heartland, where it has been trading since 1972, it has added 125 new customers since the beginning of April and increased sales by eight per cent.

Harlech came out of the pandemic with 120 staff at Cricieth and Chester and in the last four years has seen that number grow to almost 300 while opening three new sites.

Managing Director Mark Lawton, who joined the company in 2016 and said “ I am very proud to be part of the team that has been involved in the expansion, and our latest half yearly results show a clear upwards trajectory in Harlech’s fortunes.

“We needed to expand to become a truly year-round business instead of relying solely on the highly seasonal tourism and hospitality industry.

“We have successfully moved into the public sector, into education and healthcare in particular, so that now we supply all six local education authorities in North Wales as well as hospitals across Wales.

“We are also winning contracts and customers across the border in the North West of England, the West Midlands and in South Wales but at the same time we haven’t forgotten our roots and hospitality and tourism are still a vital part of the mix.

“Our marketing is focused on our independent customer base and we have been listening to their feedback because we know how hard it is to run a business in the tourism and hospitality sector.

“We want to ensure that we continue to meet their needs because we will never forget that they are the backbone of our business.

“To help them we have harnessed technology with the My Harlech app that makes ordering easier and we have pushed back our deadlines so that orders made after service are delivered the next day to smooth out the peaks and troughs.

“We are committed to exceptional service focused on the needs of our independent customers. We believe in providing them with the stability and clarity they deserve so that as we grow so can they.

“At the same time the way we have diversified to win contracts with major public sector clients in education and health so we are now a year-round operation that means we are offer all year-round employment, in seasonal areas.”

Harlech last year announced a three-year £6 million expansion plan which has already created over 100 new jobs and they now run a fleet of 90 vehicles delivering up to 5,000 product lines to its private and public sector customers.

Those vehicles have their journeys planned to cut mileage and are equipped with refrigeration systems using a more advanced and eco-friendly coolant.

Those changes have helped Harlech win a Welsh Government Green Dragon award for the past seven years and the firm is on track to reach net zero by 2050, a commitment that has also been a key factor in winning a number of public sector contracts.

Mark Lawton added: “As a major employer, we’re proud that our staff, suppliers and customers put money straight back into the local economy where we have our depots.

“What our customers spend with us supports nearby businesses, suppliers and venues – creating a genuine circular economy that helps Wales and borders prosper.

“We believe in being a part of the communities where we operate and in supporting those areas and contributing to good causes in those areas, to local organisations and to schools and sports clubs.”

Harlech Foodservice was founded in the town of Harlech in 1972 by Colin and Gill Foskett to supply the holiday market and now deliver to restaurants, pubs, schools and hospitals across Wales and into England.

The founders’ three children, Jonathan, Andrew and Laura, took over the reins from their parents and still sit on the board while a third generation of the family are making their way in the firm.

For more on Harlech Foodservice, go to https://www.harlech.co.uk