Cooke & Arkwright
News
Oven ready deal
20/05/2010
National bakery retailer, Greggs has taken up residence in the premises of the company that designs, manufactures and supplies bread ovens to all its stores. It has opened a shop at Mono Equipment’s 80,000 sq ft premises in Swansea West Industrial Park, where it is now effectively showcasing some of the latest oven equipment in a working environment.
Mono Equipment is a specialist designer and manufacturer of innovative bakery equipment for the baking, confectionery and food service industries and has been providing Greggs with equipment for over five years. First established at its present site more than 60 years ago by Swansea born Ayres Jones, the Welsh company was the pioneer of in-store bakeries at Tesco and Sainsbury’s some 30 years ago. It now exports 25% of its product worldwide and is installing an oven in every store at Dunkin Doughnuts, the biggest confectionery chain in the United States. It has the largest test bakery in the UK, where clients include Sainsbury, Marks & Spencer, Tesco and COOP, and public sector clients such as the Ministry of Defence.
“We have an excellent working relationship with Mono,” said Russell Gower, Retail Operations Manager at Greggs. “It makes good sense to base a shop where our supplier has a substantial base of such long standing. Greggs offers fantastic freshly baked food at great value prices and we are delighted to be able to bring our offer to new customers in this location.”
The new store opened on 26th April, on the same day that former shop manager, Sian Collins, who had joined Greggs after the demise of Ferraris, was promoted to Area Manager. Jan Taylor joined the store as shop manager, after working for Greggs at its Mumbles store for 12 years, and seven new members of staff were also taken on, all of whom had been previously unemployed.
Greggs has embarked on an accelerated expansion programme for 2010, with plans to secure 50 to 60 new premises to its estate. Well known for its high street presence, the baker is successfully making its mark in new locations such as retail and industrial parks, and transport hubs such as airports and railway stations.
Alex Kalebic of Cooke & Arkwright, acting agent for Greggs in South Wales said, “Swansea West Business Park is the largest postwar industrial estate in Swansea and the Felinfach extension is under development. I believe about 1,500 people are employed here, including 136 at Mono Equipment. The estate is just off busy Carmarthen Road so the potential is good.”
Andrew Jones, Managing Director of Mono Equipment said, “We are delighted to welcome Greggs to our site and to further cementing our relationship. They are currently trialling one of our newly developed ‘eco touch’ ovens.”
Mono Equipment is one of only two UK manufactures of bread ovens left in the UK and produces over 3,000 convection ovens per year. It caters for a niche market of in-store bakeries, rather than industrial clients and all its equipment is manufactured on site from start to finish. It enters the warehouse as large, flat sheets of steel and leaves having been made into Mono’s extensive equipment range including dividers, provers and moulders, confectionery depositers and a whole range of ovens including deck , rack and convection ovens.
Pictured, left to right: Andrew Jones, Mono Equipment; Sian Collins, Greggs; Alex Kalebic, Cooke & Arkwright; Jan Taylor, Greggs.