Welsh wholesale distributor Harlech Foodservice is targetting £120m turnover within the next three years after unveiling a £3.5m investment plan including creation of 50 new jobs.
The Gwynedd-based family-run business has experienced rapid growth over the past year, including a 25% rise in turnover and the opening of new depots in Aberbargoed and Telford, joining two more in Carmarthen and Chester. This supported increased demand from customers such as restaurants, pubs, schools, and hospitals located across South Wales, the Northwest and the West Midlands regions.
Harlech now intends to invest £2m on new warehousing and freezer facilities at its headquarters in Llanystumdwy near Cricieth, and a further £1.5m on new delivery vehicles, along with expanding its workforce from 320 to 370 staff. Site extension is expected to take between 12 and 18 months.
The wholesaler maintains a strong focus on food products produced by Welsh suppliers including a wide range of cakes and desserts. Among the bakeries it works with are Terry’s Patisseries in Aberbargoed, Henllan Bakery in Denbigh, Jones Village Bakery in Wrexham, Tan y Castell in Narberth, Just Love Food Company in Blackwood, and Sidoli’s in Welshpool – not to be confused with ice cream brand Sidoli’s in Ebbw Vale, which also supplies to Harlech and recently launched a Bara Brith Ice Cream.
Harlech MD Mark Lawton revealed that, when Covid hit in 2021, annual sales had been down to £18m but have recovered and grown to put next year’s estimated turnover at around £80m with a target of £120m 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,” he added. “Despite that growth, we’ve never forgotten our roots. Tourism and hospitality remain a vital part of the business.”
Founded in the seaside town of Harlech in 1972 by Colin and Gill Foskett, their three children – Jonathan, Andrew and Laura – have since taken over the reins and still sit on the board while the family’s third generation are currently making their way up in the firm.
Liz Saville Roberts, the MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, said: “If Carlsberg made Welsh companies, they’d probably look very much like Harlech Foodservice. She described the business as one of the key employers for the area, highlighting how it supports many local hospitality businesses whilst winning big public sector contracts not only in Wales but across the border.
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