Member Article

Expanding food wholesaler moves into new £3m warehouse facility

A Bristol-based foodservice company has expanded into a new cold storage warehouse facility to meet growing demand for its products.

Charles Saunders Food Service will now operate from a £3m 45,755 sq ft warehouse in Yate it purchased to contain all stock and services under one roof.

The foodservice firm has also launched a trade counter, which provides businesses and individuals with immediate access to more than 5,000 lines of frozen, chilled, grocery and non-food products.

Charles Saunders, which employs 117 people and has been operating in the South West for more than 50 years, was previously spread across two sites in the city on Albert Road, St Philips, and at the Netham Industrial Estate.

The new headquarters boasts a fingerprint recognition security system, a renovated reception area with a retail freezer, and a dedicated area to store fresh seafood.

It also consists of a break room and kitchen, shower facilities, and modern and spacious offices for the customer service, telesales, and accounts teams.

The wholesaler, which is a member of buying group Fairway Foodservice, has also invested in new forklift trucks with an increased maximum reach, as well as ensuring the layout increases productivity in the warehouse via wider loading bays.

Darren Gaulton, owner and managing director of Charles Saunders said: “We have wanted to merge operations onto one site for a long time to increase efficiencies and improve communications between departments.

“Our new headquarters have already gone down really well with employees. The warehouse operatives are enjoying the increased space for transporting and unloading pallets, and the office-based staff are thrilled with the modern offices and facilities.

“Opening a trade counter provides the region’s food industry professionals and enthusiasts with easy and quick access to quality food at cost-effective prices.

“The move and the trade counter are significant milestones as part of the growth plans at Charles Saunders.”

The company has grown over the last nine years, increasing from a £6m turnover in 2008 to £20.5m in 2017. It expanded the size of its fleet to 35 in 2017 with nine state-of the-art eco-friendly vehicles. Charles Saunders, which employs 126, has customers throughout the South West, Dorset and South Wales.

For further information visit: http://www.charles-saunders.com/.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .