Harlech Foodservice has invested £500,000 to increase storage capacity at its Criccieth depot in North Wales.
The wholesaler has increased freezer space at the depot by 25% after reconfiguring the racking to create narrower aisles.
To help navigate the reduced space the company has also purchased “bendy” forklift trucks.
The business had previously been relying on third party storage to help it cope with increased demand.
It comes as the wholesaler is set to post record turnover of £38m in 2022, beating its previous, pre-pandemic record of £32m.
As part of the plan, Harlech has also introduced a sustainable refrigeration system it says will help save money and reduce CO2 emissions by 111 tonnes a year.
“The scheme to increase the capacity of our freezer is part of our long-term expansion plans and is necessary to cater for the surge in demand that we are seeing,” said Harlech joint chairman Andrew Foskett.
“Thanks to our loyal customers enjoying our competitive prices and excellent service, we are seeing double-digit growth compared to the volumes we were seeing before the pandemic.”
Harlech MD David Cattrall said: “The beauty about moving to these narrow aisles is that you’re freezing less air and your energy is going into stock which holds the temperature better. It’s actually cheaper to run a fuller freezer than an empty freezer.
“By increasing capacity by 25% and reducing energy costs, we can continue investing in competitive prices for our customers.
“It’s involved a significant investment, particularly when we’ve come out of a pandemic, but we’ve been able to do it because of the support we’ve seen from the customers. This will lay the foundation for long-term future growth over the next 10 years or so.”
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