Historic Bristol-based foodservice firm Charles Saunders has moved out of the city to Yate to expand into a new cold storage warehouse so it can meet growing demand for its products.
The family firm, which has been in business for more than 50 years, will now operate from a £3m, 45,755 sq ft warehouse in Yate bought to enable it to keep all stock and services under one roof.
It 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, was previously spread across two sites in Bristol – on Albert Road, St Philips, and on the Netham Industrial Estate – as the result of its 2012 acquisition of Good Morning Disposables.
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.
Charles Saunders owner and managing director Darren Gaulton, pictured, 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 past nine years, increasing from a £6m turnover in 2008 to £20.5m in 2017. In 2012 it acquired Bristol firms Good Morning Foods and Good Morning Disposables – extending its offering to include chilled foods and a range of disposable products to the catering trade, such as tableware, crockery and cutlery.
In 20916 it expanded its delivery fleet to 35 with the addition of nine state-of the-art eco-friendly vehicles. The firm has customers throughout the South West, Dorset and South Wales.
