March 20, 2025 - 887 views
A leading North Wales food wholesaler has staged its biggest ever trade fair with over 130 stands and a record £1.5 million in sales.
Harlech Foodservice’s popular two-day Expo 25 packed 137 trade stands into Venue Cymru in Llandudno with crowds of over 2,000 trade customers doing “brisk business”.
Suppliers included international food giants Kellogg’s, McCains, Young’s Seafood, Doritos, Cadbury’s and Hellman’s as well as nationally known Welsh brands such as Jones Village Bakery, Llaeth y Llan Village Dairy and Radnor Springs, from Knighton, in Mid Wales.
There was a big presence from food producers from South and West Wales where Cricieth-based Harlech has extended its reach with new depots in Carmarthen and Merthyr and across the border in Telford to add to its North West regional hub in Chester.
Taking charge of the event for the second time has been Harlech Head of Purchasing Josie Swift who has also seen a very positive reaction to the company’s latest venture, the launch of its My Harlech app which provides easy tracking and a rebate of up to 10 per cent for customers.
Harlech also unveiled its latest version of its Trust Our Prices campaign, with more than 400 prices locked down for three months until June 7.
Also returning is the company’s Mega Deals initiative with “massive discounts” on popular brands and own branded products along with the introduction of the Harlech Top 50 price comparison scheme, with the prices of 50 of the most popular lines being benchmarked against the giant Booker company
Josie Swift said: “This is such a fabulous event and enables us to catch up with our customers and the feedback we’re getting is that people are so excited about the My Harlech app which has gone down so well.
“We believe we are one of the first UK food distribution businesses to go down this route which is already common among the big retailers.
“It has gone down a storm with so many customers coming through the doors and signing up here this week which makes sense because they’re getting a great deal with a rebate of up to 10 per cent.
“Our success as a company is reflected here at this event where we are seeing bigger suppliers alongside smaller artisan producers, many of whom have been with us for years but with a significant increase in new partners, particularly from South and West Wales.
“To recognise this we had even more offers than ever before for our customers at this year’s event and we’re projecting to increase the value of the deals we do by more than 50 per cent to more than £1.5 million.
“The sales teams have had a great reaction from customers who have really loved the event and enjoyed meeting the people who produce the food and drink we deliver to them.”
Among the new suppliers for Harlech is Sidoli’s Ice Cream from Ebbw Vale , a business launched in 1922 by Italian immigrant Benedetto Sidoli and now headed by the fourth generation of the family, Ben’s great-grandson, Stefano.
He said: “It’s been really busy with a lot of interest from a wide variety of customers including in products which Harlech don’t currently list so there could be opportunities to grow our presence.
“In terms of exposure it has been very good for us and with Harlech’s knowledge and resources the foundations are being laid for us to be successful this summer and I’m really positive about the partnership.”
Knightly’s Fun Park in Towyn have been long-term customers for Harlech and General Manager Lauren Hall said: “We’ve been with Harlech for many years but I’ve only been here ten minutes and I’ve already bought a coffee machine off one of their exhibitors.
“It’s just what we’ve been looking for and we’ve found it here – that’s what it’s like dealing with Harlech and I’m delighted and so is the man from the coffee business.”
Tracie Edwards, of Wrexham-based Jones Village Bakery, said: “We’re here every year and it’s become such a good event for us.
“We meet so many customers who we have been working with for over 20 years and it’s really convenient to be able to meet them here along with potential new customers.
“Our products go into lots of pub chains, cafes and bed and breakfasts through Harlech so it’s an important market for us.”
The annual Expo is a key event for Harlech which last year announced a three-year £6 million expansion plan which has already seen it open new depots in Carmarthen and Telford in the last 12 months to add to those at Cricieth, Chester and Merthyr Tydfil.
They have also created 75 new jobs of a planned 150 increase in staffing taking the workforce to 250 and now runs a fleet of 65 vehicles delivering up to 5,000 product lines to cafés, restaurants, pubs and public sector customers.
For more on Harlech Foodservice go to https://www.harlech.co.uk/
