Cooke & Arkwright
News
Homegrown company secures former Dairygold premises
07/11/2011
LAS Holdings has bought Dairygold House, the 70,000 sq ft former Dairygold premises in Felinfach near Lampeter for an undisclosed sum. The deal, which was brokered by Cooke & Arkwright, promises to breathe new life and bring the prospect of welcome new jobs into the area through a number of growth related projects.
The former cheese factory, which closed with the loss of 115 jobs in 2006 when the Irish owned company moved its operation to Staffordshire, stands in 7.3 acres and is a long term investment by LAS Holdings, a local, family-owned company headquartered in Lampeter.
Managing Director Chris Saunders revealed that LAS has come to an agreement to let the property to quality red meat supplier Dunbia for eighteen months. Dunbia had been occupying Dairygold House for interim periods, but has now signed up for the longer lease while it builds an extension at its existing plant in Llanybyther. “We are co-operating with Dunbia for both mutual interests and those of the local community,” said Mr Saunders. “Dunbia needed premises temporarily while it expands its Llanybyther site, which will allow the company to grow and provide new jobs. When Dunbia returns to its newly extended premises, we hope to be in a position to relocate LAS Recycling Limited, our main business to Felinfach, where we will also be investing to expand.”
John Jones of Cooke & Arkwright said that it was good news for the local community. “It’s a win-win situation: a successful, home-grown company has bought the former factory; Dunbia and LAS Recycling will both be expanding and they are working together to make sure both projects are a success; and last but not least, LAS ultimately has plans to redevelop its present site in Lampeter into a commercial, retail and industrial park, with all the associated new business and jobs that will bring. All these related developments provide a much needed boost after the disappointment and gloom that surrounded the closure of the factory in 2006. I am delighted to have been able to assist in securing Dairygold House for LAS Holdings.”
Mr Saunders said that LAS Recycyling had outgrown its site in Lampeter and hoped to be moving its 60 strong workforce to Felinfach, where there was the potential for significant creation of new jobs. The Civic Amenities site, which the company operates for Ceredigion County Council will remain in Lampeter in the present site.
“The waste industry is very much a growth industry with a good, long term future,” said Mr Saunders. He pointed out that it is very different now to when LAS Recycling was established in 1963. “It’s a much cleaner industry now,” he said, “and I think people are more accepting of recycling. We have worked with Cardiff University for a number of years and we often accommodate school visits to the Lampeter site so that the children can learn about the importance of recycling and waste management.”
Mark Saunders, Director at LAS said, “We see this as a good business opportunity. It is a good sized building, well located and fits in with our long term business investment strategy. We are very pleased to have been able to secure the premises and the opportunity for the site to provide long term employment to the local workforce.”
LAS Recycling is well known in the area. A family owned and operated business, it started out as an agricultural company and diversified into waste management in the 1980s, well before the idea became accepted practice. The company separates materials suitable for recycling from waste, and also manages waste disposal. In 2009 a partnership between LAS Recycling and Cardiff University’s School of Engineering was given the Innovation Award for the design and commissioning of a new materials recovery facility. It has increased throughput and recovery of a wide range of materials, can now be processed, diverting up to 50% from landfill.
As well as the main site in Lampeter, LAS Property Wales Ltd (part of LAS Holdings) has other property investment interests throughout South West Wales including Parc LAS Trade Park on Cillefwr Industrial Estate in Carmarthen as well as other land and property holdings in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
Pictured: John Jones left, of Cooke & Arkwright and Mark Saunders, LAS