A record number of 120 suppliers will be showcasing their products at a flagship food exhibition in North Wales where sales are forecast to top \u00a31 million.<\/p>\n
Thousands of buyers are expected at Harlech Foodservice\u2019s annual two-day trade fair, Expo 25, at Venue Cymru in Llandudno on Wednesday and Thursday, March 12 and 13.<\/p>\n
Among those with a presence for the first time will be two of the global giants of the food and drink businesses, Coca-Cola and Mars, who have each taken stands at the event.<\/p>\n
Also there will be two of Harlech\u2019s newest partners, both with an Italian flavour, Sidoli\u2019s ice-cream, set up in Ebbw Vale over 100 years ago by Benedetto Sidoli and still in the same family, and Ferrari Coffee from Bridgend.<\/p>\n
They will join a host of other household names at the event which will see Harlech, which has bases in Cricieth, Chester, Carmarthen, Merthyr Tydfil and Telford, unveil its latest Trust Our Prices range with over 300 deals for its customers pegging prices for the next three months.<\/p>\n
Alongside Coca-Cola and Mars at the trade fair will be a host of food and drink supply giants including Pepsi, Kellogg\u2019s, McCains, Young\u2019s Seafood, Premier Foods, Cadbury\u2019s, Twinings tea, Walkers crisps and Unilever.<\/p>\n
Nationally known Welsh brands such as Jones Village Bakery, Edwards the Welsh Butcher, Llaeth y Llan Village Dairy and Radnor Springs, from Knighton, in Mid Wales, will also all be there.<\/p>\n
Pulling it all together for fast-growing Harlech is Head of Purchasing Josie Swift for whom it is her second time taking charge of the company\u2019s biggest annual event.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cWe are expecting a record 120 plus suppliers this year and are forecasting another record in sales of over \u00a31 million as we unveil our Spring Trust Our Prices promise.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt locks in 300 of our most popular prices for three months and added to it is our Season Start Up brochure packed full of over 1000 deals.<\/p>\n
\u201cCustomers can also sign up to place their orders for what they need there and then with the confidence that the prices will stay the same. \u2013 they can\u2019t order at the show, we\u2019ve gone one better and Trust Our Prices promise locks the top selling lines in for the whole of Spring season, with the Season Start Up brochure giving customers over 1,000 deals that they can purchase during the four weeks leading up to Easter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will apply to first-time customers too. They will be able to sign up at the entrance, enjoy Expo and then place their first order. \u2013 they can sign up and enjoy Trust Our Prices and the Season Start Up deals.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives them the certainty they need as they plan their menus for the coming months and compare our prices with those of our competitors and see that we offer the best price offers for everyday items they need.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust Our Prices has been very successful since we launched it in 2023 and it covers 300 staple products, from blue rolls to burgers, that our customers buy every week and it guarantees that those prices will be locked in for three months.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last year has been amazing, we\u2019ve just grown and grown as a company so it\u2019s really exciting and I love the Expo. It\u2019s the one time of the year we\u2019re all together and customers can see what we do and see what our suppliers can offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are expecting many of our major customers at the event, the schools and NHS caterers we supply year round and of course the shops, pubs and caf\u00e9s that have been at the heart of the business from the start.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Expo is a highlight of the year for Harlech which will showcase the range of products it supplies to restaurants, cafes and even Premiership giants as well as to schools and hospitals, museums and art galleries.<\/p>\n
The aim is to enable suppliers to talk directly to the customer, giving them a chance to tell the story behind their product to representatives from the tourism, leisure, education and health sectors across Wales, the North West and the Midlands.<\/p>\n
It is a key event for Harlech which last year announced a three-year \u00a36 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.<\/p>\n
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 caf\u00e9s, restaurants, pubs and public sector customers.<\/p>\n
For more on Harlech Foodservice go to https:\/\/www.harlech.co.uk\/<\/a><\/p>\n