Turnover rises 20% at Lanchester Group

Bottling specialist and wine wholesaler The Lanchester Group has reported a rise in turnover of 20% to £81.8 million last year, with revenues almost trebling to £6.3m.

The County-Durham based firm includes wine supplier Lanchester Wines, contract bottler Greencroft Bottling as well as an energy division and gift business.

According to local news website The Chronicle, turnover at the bottling division, Greencroft Bottling Company Ltd, rose 30% to £35.5m, following a dip in the previous financial year due to a supplier ceasing trading and the company supplying it customer at a loss. Revenue is expected to grow to around £39m in the current financial year, an increase of around 25%.

Director Tony Cleary was reported to have said that the business had worked hard over the last two years to implement significant strategic changes across the business.

It had also modernised its warehouses in County Durham and Gateshead, enabling them to hold more stock, and invested in its bottling equipment.

“We’re now in a position to realise the outcomes of this hard work which will benefit our group for years to come,” he said.

“Both Greencroft Bottling and Lanchester Wines have grown 25% and 10% respectively within the current financial year and we expect this to track steadily throughout the rest of our financial year (to year end 30 June 2019).

The wine business showed “steady growth” he said.

“Lanchester Wines shows steady growth year on year with new agency wines from Italy, Spain and Australia already winning prestigious awards. We embarked on an ambitious programme of modernisation and energy saving initiatives at our warehouses, both at our main site in County Durham and our three satellite warehouses in Gateshead. These warehouses are now fully operational and profitable, holding increasing volumes of stock.”