Harlech Foodservice to create 50 jobs and hit record £75 million sales

Harlech’s Mark Lawton (right) and Ian Evans with Liz Saville Roberts MP.

Harlech Foodservice is creating 50 new jobs and is on course to achieve record sales of £75 million.

The Gwynedd-based wholesaler has increased turnover by 25% in the past year after opening depots in Caerphilly and Telford to support growing demand in South Wales, the North West and West Midlands.

The family-run business is planning a £3.5 million expansion of its headquarters in Llanystumdwy near Cricieth, including 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.

Managing Director Mark Lawton said: “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.

“That’s helped us increase our sales of Llaeth y Llan products by 59%, Radnor Springs by 55% and Edwards the Welsh Butcher by 72% so we’re not just improving our performance, we’re boosting other Welsh businesses too.

“We are now feeding children in the North West and the Midlands and as we spread we take these classic Welsh products with us.”

Lawton added: “When Covid hit our sales were down to £18 million in 2021 but they have recovered and grown so that next year we are estimating sales of up to £80 million with a three-year target increase to £120 million by 2029.

“We’ve transformed the business from one that relied on seasonal tourism into a year-round operation by expanding into the public sector, particularly education and healthcare.

“Despite that growth, we’ve never forgotten our roots. Tourism and hospitality remain a vital part of the business.

“We’ve listened carefully to our independent customers because we understand the challenges they face. They’re the backbone of our business and we’re committed to continuing to meet their needs.

“We’ve created 48 new jobs over the past 18 months and our total staff numbers are now 320 – these are full-time, year-round jobs, which is really important in a rural area of North West Wales, and we’re still recruiting.

“We have plans for new warehousing and we’ve got the land here at our headquarters.

“Now we need help to get those facilities built on the land because it will  help us create a further 50 jobs here in our Gwynedd heartland.”

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 £2 million in new buildings and a further £1.5 million in new delivery vehicles and ideally we would need help from Government to achieve that.”

The business was founded in the town of Harlech in 1972 by Colin and Gill Foskett to supply the holiday market and its rapid expansion in recent years has seen it 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.