A fast-growing food wholesale company has stepped into the breach after a couple running a rival firm retired.<\/p>\n
Josiah and Steffi George wanted to make sure their loyal customers were well looked after following their decision to take it easy after more than 30 years in charge at Pembrokeshire Foods based at \u00a0<\/strong>Hasguard Cross, near Haverfordwest.<\/p>\n The couple approached Harlech Foodservice to take over their customer list, supplying more than 100 businesses across Pembrokeshire and into Ceredigion.<\/p>\n Last year Harlech established offices and a distribution centre in Carmarthen as part of a \u00a36 million expansion which has already seen them create 70 new jobs \u2013 15 of them in South West Wales.<\/p>\n Not long after Harlech, who also have bases in Merthyr Tydfil, Cricieth, Chester and Telford, also took over Celtic Foodservices in Pembroke Dock which they described as a \u201cperfect fit\u201d.<\/p>\n In a letter to customers informing them of their retirement, Mr and Mrs George said: \u201cTo ensure our customers have a supplier who cares about you and your business we have approached Harlech Foodservice, who recently opened a site in Carmarthen, and asked them to provide ongoing service to your business.<\/p>\n \u201cHarlech have a core customer base in the tourism and hospitality sectors which aligns perfectly with that of Pembrokeshire Foods.<\/p>\n \u201cThey provide a large range of around 5,000 lines across frozen foods, butchery, groceries, soft drinks and snacks, hygiene and disposables and have a unique approach to ensuring customers receive genuinely competitive prices.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce again many thanks for supporting us over many years and wishing you every success in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Harlech Managing Director David Cattrall, the deal with Pembrokeshire Foods is another staging post in their expansion plan.<\/p>\n Since last April Harlech has gained 943 new independent customers and won 243 new contract customers across Wales and the border counties of England since April.<\/p>\n They range from individual shops and businesses to major local authority deals such as a contract to supply drinks and snacks to Shire Services, the catering and cleaning arm of Shropshire Council, while their move into South and West Wales has also borne fruit.<\/p>\n Harlech supply schools across Rhondda Cynon Taf and since that success have won contracts worth nearly \u00a3500,000 from their depots in Carmarthen and Merthyr Tydfil.<\/p>\n Mr Cattrall said: \u201cSteffi and Josiah can be rightly proud of what they have achieved over the past three decades in building up a successful company that\u2019s played a key role in the business community in this part of the world.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are grateful to them for placing their trust in Harlech Foodservice to continue to look after their customers and to \u2018deliver\u2019 for them in every sense of the word.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the meantime, we wish them both all the very best for their well-deserved retirement.\u201d<\/p>\n Steffi George added: \u201cHarlech Foodservice are a fantastic company, with a huge range of excellent products and backed up with first class customer service so we are confident that our beloved customers will be in very good hands in future.\u201d<\/p>\n