Leeds-based Fullers Foods International has announced an 18 per cent increase in turnover to £338m in its annual report.
The frozen food business’s gross profit remained at nine per cent.
Jason Fuller, who owns and runs Fullers Foods jointly with his brother Adam, explained:
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented global challenges but has also presented opportunities to the industry as consumers have been restricted on eating out, instead increasing their food consumption at home.
From the outset of the pandemic, and in close consultation with our employees, suppliers, customers and advisors, we have been focusing our efforts to provide as much support as we can to ensure the health, safety and well-being of our employees and partners.
In this context, we expanded our Westgate headquarters in the centre of the city to create a safer environment for our employees as they return to work. We added another floor to its offices to help it operate in a spacious and healthy workplace. Our top priority is the health and wellbeing of our colleagues, customers and suppliers.
We are extremely proud of how everyone at Fullers Foods has coped with these challenging conditions to ensure that the business has remained, and continues to remain, fully operational and that there is a continuous supply of food for all parts of Great Britain and Ireland. We have been working closely with the supermarkets to ensure a consistent supply chain of the quality produce.
In particular I’d like to praise the excellent work of managing director Kevin Smith and the team who have been magnificent whilst working remotely. Our excellent results this year are ultimately down to our wonderful staff.
The new fifth floor at Fullers’ HQ in Westgate is for clients, with the first four floors now devoted purely to staff.
The company invested £600,000 in the refurbishment which included the addition of a predominantly glazed new fifth floor with panoramic views across Leeds. The construction and fit out was undertaken by Bradford-based Cardinal.
Jason Fuller explained: “We were keen to get our team back into the workplace in a healthy, safe and appropriate manner. Our new extension enables face-to-face collaboration, better team work and product development.
Fullers Foods sources and distributes more than 450,000 tonnes of food per year, supported by more than 100 factories across Britain, northern Europe and the Far East.
Mr Fuller added:
This pandemic has been a very stressful time for companies across the globe during the past year. We have weathered the storm and we are now ready to fully return to work and to serve our customers in the very best way we can.
