Harlech Foodservice is set to create 50 new jobs and is on course to achieve record sales of £75m and 25% turnover, following an expansion strategy across England and Wales.
Gwynedd-based Harlech has opened depots in Caerphilly and Telford to support growing demand in South Wales, the North West and West Midlands, and is now planning a £3.5m expansion of its headquarters which will include new warehousing, freezer facilities and more delivery vehicles.
As a result the number of people working for the company is expected to rise from 320 to 370 over the next few years.
During a visit to the company (pictured), Liz Saville Roberts, the MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, hailed the wholesaler’s success and said: “If Carlsberg made Welsh companies, they’d probably look very much like Harlech Foodservice.
Read more: Harlech’s focus on Welsh produce leads to economic growth
The MP, Plaid Cymru’s Leader in the House of Commons, was given a briefing on the company’s growth and on their plans for further expansion at Llanystumdwy and their depots at Chester, Carmarthen, Caerphilly and Telford.
Managing director Mark Lawton added: “We have a real focus on supporting Welsh products and suppliers and that means we are now putting products like Llaeth y Llan yoghurt, Radnor Springs mineral waters, Edwards the Welsh Butcher sausages and Snowdonia cheese onto school dinner tables not just across Wales but in the North West of England and border counties of England.
“When Covid hit our sales were down to £18m in 2021 but they have recovered and grown so that next year we are estimating sales of up to £80m with a three year target increase to £120m by 2029.
Harlech operations director Ian Evans said: “We need more capacity here but from putting shovels in the ground here it will take 12 to 18 months to have the new warehousing up and running. That would mean an investment of £2m in new buildings and a further £1.5m in new delivery vehicles and ideally we would need help from Government to achieve that.”
