Harlech Foodservice has invested £1m in a fleet of six low-emission delivery trucks as part of a strategy to reach net zero by 2050.
The Welsh wholesaler recently opened depots in Merthyr and Carmarthen, and also switched to an environmentally-friendly coolant gas for freezer rooms at its headquarters as well as for their refrigerated transport fleet.
Harlech sales administrator Janette Jones, alongside head of operations Ian Evans, has overseen the company’s drive towards net zero and she said: “It is really important to embrace the green agenda because so many of our public sector customers demand it now. The progress we have made so far has helped us win new public sector contracts so that makes good business sense as well as being environmentally important.
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“In turn that is driving the growth of the company which employed about 180 staff pre-Covid but is now heading towards 250. As well as the new fleet of HGVs we have and the other delivery vans, we are looking at the feasibility of equipping the sales fleet with all-electric vehicles and using smart technology to plan journeys, deliveries, and pick-ups, more efficiently.
“It’s about getting the right people in the right place at the right time because there is a big saving to be made not just in our fuel miles but in the fuel miles of our suppliers.”
Evans, who is in charge of the company’s fleet of 47 lorries and vans, added: “It’s becoming more and more important for our customers in the public sector, schools, colleges, councils and health boards that we commit to Net Zero. We’re expanding at our headquarters too with more space including refrigerated space but we are also being more efficient in the way we operate by making the aisles in our warehouses narrower so we can store more.
