The festive feeling is fueling a South Wales cold storage firm’s expansion, with sales set to soar as food retailers expand their Christmas ranges.
[aoa id=”1″]
Wild Water Group offers bespoke temperature-controlled storage and distribution services to large food companies, Welsh producers, supermarkets and High Street stores.
The group expects its turnover to rise by 10 per cent this year due to retailers increasing the variety of products included in their Christmas feasts.
The company has also boosted the size of its team by 40 per cent to help deal with the upturn in demand, creating 25 new jobs across its network.
Christmas is the busiest time of year for Wild Water Group, with festive activity accounting for 60 per cent of the company’s turnover.
[/aoa]
Due to the continued upturn in demand the business recently purchased a 130,000 sq ft warehouse in Aberbargoed with the support of a £1.7 million funding package from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.
Wild Water Group was founded in 2012 by Ken Rattenbury. It works with more than 60 firms across the country, holding up to 20 million products at its sites in Cardiff, Llanishen and Merthyr Tydfil at any one time.
Ken Rattenbury, managing director at Wild Water Group, said:
“Christmas is an incredibly busy time for us, with preparations now starting in summer.
“Although we’re finding that demand for traditional Christmas products is steadily growing – and we currently have two million turkey crowns and 2.5 million seasonal specialty cakes in storage – it’s consumers’ need for a wider range of party food and desserts that is driving the upturn in sales.
“We expect this demand to increase, which is why we made the decision to expand our network.
“We’ve had a relationship with the team at Lloyds Bank for a number of years and its support has been an essential part of our growth. The team completely understands our business and objectives and has provided the tailored guidance and funding we’ve needed to push forward with our expansion plans.”
Jonathan Cave, relationship manager at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “It’s often said that the festive period is getting longer, and for the team at Wild Water preparations now start in July.
“But for seasonal firms, navigating the Christmas period can present a variety of challenges. Businesses need to ensure that they have sufficient cash flow available to navigate issues, such as overtrading, and to capitalise on any new opportunities.
“That’s why we have a team of local relationship managers based across South Wales, who can provide the tailored guidance and support that firms need to prosper throughout the festive season and beyond.”
