A North East based leading supplier of personalised workwear, uniform and promotional clothing has announced the opening of a new 40,000 square foot factory at its Durham headquarters.
Workwear Express’ brand new factory space is now open for business following a £3.5m investment which will drive forward the company’s plans to more than double turnover to over £50m by 2023.
The state-of-the-art building at Belmont Industrial Estate in County Durham, houses advanced 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. This benefits its thousands of customers across a wide range of sectors, including transport and distribution and construction.
Workwear Express 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. The company, which currently employs 180 people, plans to create at least 30 new jobs this year.
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.
Andrew said: “We are delighted to announce the opening of our new facilities – it’s an exciting time for the business, our staff and customers. We’re a forward-thinking company and recognised a need to increase production of our products to meet the demands of our growing customer base.
“The new factory is located next to our current site and is an ideal location to do business. We’re proud to be part of the North East community, supporting the local economy and jobs, and our investment demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the region over nearly three decades.
“The new factory space includes modern machinery and facilities, enabling us to become even more responsive to what our customers want and meet the demands for a fast, efficient service and high quality products.”
The full-service company has more than 100,000 active customers across its three divisions – e-commerce, key accounts and international. It offers services including embroidery, print and transfer all under one roof.
Andrew continued: “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.
“There’s a real pool of talent here in the North East and we’re lucky to have a dedicated team of staff who have helped the company to go from strength to strength. 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 customer Allan Renwick, Category Lead Buyer, Magnet Kitchens, said: “It is re-assuring 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.”