Jobs go as food warehouse closes

The firm said it was committed to its operations in north Wales

A food warehouse in Rhyl which supplies the catering industry is to close with the loss of 20 full-time jobs and 11 temporary posts.

Woodward Foodservice said it hoped to redeploy most of the staff to its depot in nearby Bodelwyddan.

The closure, to take place in the next few weeks, is part of the firm's aim to concentrate more work in the Midlands. Consultations with staff have begun.

The Flintshire-based firm said it was committed to its north Wales work.

Woodward said its takeover last week of DBC Foodservice, based at Welwyn Garden City, would increase its turnover to £500m a year and was expected to lead to an expansion of its headquarters on Deeside Industrial Park.

The firm now has nearly 30 distribution centres across Britain, supplying food to hotels, restaurants, schools, hospitals, prisons and military bases.

Woodward Foodservice was founded as a family business in north Wales. It was originally purchased by the Iceland chain of food stores when Iceland was a public-listed company.

The two firms are now separate companies but have the Icelandic-based investment group, Baugur, as a shareholder.

A Woodward Foodservice spokesman the firm employed 280 people at its Deeside offices and 125 at its site in Bodelwyddan.

He said: "Woodward remains committed to growing its existing operation in north Wales, at Deeside and Bodelwyddan."