Brakes marked the opening of its environmentally sustainable Newhouse depot in North Lanarkshire with an official ceremony, attended by Richard Lochhead MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment, Gavin Whitefield CBE, Chief Executive of North Lanarkshire Council and Brakes Group’s CEO, Ken McMeikan.
Brakes will be expanding its already extensive range of Scottish products, which supports over 80 Scottish suppliers and already contributes £68m to the Scottish economy.
Richard Lochhead MSP, said: “I applaud Brakes’ ambition to double its sourcing of Scottish produce, and make the most of Scotland's world-famous larder.
“The food and drink service sector in Scotland is a key market, with a turnover of around £3.8bn and 108,000 employees.
“Companies like Brakes that are actively sourcing local produce are to be commended and congratulated on the work they are doing.
“This will mean that more hotels and restaurants across Scotland will be able to put more Scottish products on their menus, which in turn will help our food and drink companies go from strength to strength.”
Ken McMeikan, CEO of Brakes Group, said: “As the largest foodservice supplier in Scotland, the opening of the new depot exemplifies our continued commitment to Scotland. Newhouse shows our dedication to delivering an outstanding service-based experience, which aims to help our customers thrive.
"We are committed to reducing energy emissions wherever possible and are very proud that the opening of Newhouse as another fantastically streamlined and efficient facility which continues to make Brakes depots the most sustainable in the foodservice industry.
“Our customers in Scotland will reap the benefits of this tremendous multi-functional multi-temperature depot, not least by streamlining the supply chain to minimise deliveries which also reduces road miles and reliance on fossil fuels, as well as increased accuracy of orders and reduced administration time and costs.”