Welsh wholesaler on road to net zero with new low-emission trucks

Harlech Foodservice is going green as it builds for the future, including a £1 million fleet of six new low-emission delivery trucks

Harlech Foodservice are blazing a trail towards their own net zero 2050 target at the same time as they launch a major expansion of the business into South and West Wales with new depots at Merthyr and Carmarthen.

The wholesaler has already made some major savings by switching to more environmentally-friendly coolant gas for their giant freezer rooms and refrigerated transport fleet as part of a major review of energy needs.

£1 million is to be invested in a further six HGVs by the end of this year, as the company gears up to build new markets from its new Carmarthen depot.

Harlech Sales Administrator Janette Jones, alongside Head of Operations Ian Evans, has overseen the company’s drive towards net zero and she said: “It is really important to embrace the green agenda because so many of our public sector customers demand it now.

“The progress we have made so far has helped us win new public sector contracts, so that makes good business sense as well as being environmentally important. In turn that is driving the growth of the company which employed about 180 staff pre-Covid but is now heading towards 250.

“As well as the new fleet of HGVs we have and the other delivery vans, we are looking at the feasibility of equipping the sales fleet with all-electric vehicles and using smart technology to plan journeys, deliveries and pick-ups, more efficiently.

“It’s about getting the right people in the right place at the right time, because there is a big saving to be made not just in our fuel miles but in the fuel miles of our suppliers.”

Harlech Head of Operations Ian Evans, who is in charge of the company’s fleet of 47 lorries and vans, added: “It’s becoming more and more important for our customers in the public sector, schools, colleges, councils and health boards that we commit to Net Zero.

“We’re expanding at our headquarters too with more space including refrigerated space but we are also being more efficient in the way we operate by making the aisles in our warehouses narrower so we can store more.

“We also still have a lot of land here that is surplus to our needs so we are looking at installing more solar panels in addition to our existing solar array on the roofs.”