A leading supplier of personalised workwear for the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors has opened a new 40,000 square foot factory to increase capacity at its North East headquarters. Workwear Express’ brand new factory space is now open for business following a £3.5m investment, designed to benefit its thousands of customers across a wide range of sectors. The building at Belmont Industrial Estate in County Durham, houses advanced new machinery and modern office space. The increased capacity will support the company’s commitment to its industry-leading turnaround, including a 24-hour dispatch option. The business welcomes more than 1,500 new customers every week and its new factory will help to meet the growing demand for its products in the UK and around the world.
Managing director Andrew Ward built the company from scratch, starting by selling work clothing out of the back of a van in 1990. 29 years on, his business now covers a 68,000 square foot site and makes more than two million items of workwear clothing a year, shipping to 96 countries. The company plans to more than double turnover to over £50m by 2023.
Andrew said: “The opening of our new facilities is a great step forward for our customers and staff. We recognised a need to increase production and enhance our head to foot clothing solutions for a growing customer base. What really sets us apart is our speed of service and competitive pricing. Our multi-million-pound investment is helping us meet the increasing demand for a fast, efficient service and high-quality products. The new factory space includes modern machinery and facilities, enabling us to become even more responsive to what our customers want.
“In the last three years, Workwear Express has doubled in size and has become the biggest, most modern facility of its kind in the UK. With our dedicated new floorspace, we have even more room for growth. We are excited about the future of the business and this investment means we are able to forge ahead with our expansion plans.”
Workwear Express now employs 180 members of staff and plans to create at least 30 new jobs this year.
The full-service company has more than 100,000 active customers across its three divisions – eCommerce, key accounts and international. It offers services including embroidery, print and transfer all under one roof. Workwear Express customer Allan Renwick, who is Category Lead Buyer at Magnet Kitchens, said: “It is reassuring to see Workwear Express’s further expansion by significantly investing in their facility, equipment, systems and people. These improvements have furthered my confidence in Workwear Express being able to deliver a first-class service together with the same high-quality products.”
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