Post by Patrick on Sept 17, 2009 13:04:40 GMT
Another foodie success story in the recession:
ONE of Wigan's most famous businesses could be forced to move out of its home of 90 years in a bid to expand.
Bosses of William Santus and Co, makers of the iconic Uncle Joe's Mint Balls, have seen sales soar during the recession.
John and Antony Winnard are keen to make inroads into the supermarket sector but feel that in order to do so they would have to move to larger, hi-tech premises.
But on the other side of the coin is a perceived shortage of anything suitable and of course the heritage of their old Dorning Street base.
Sales of mintballs and other sweets in the Santus range are 17 per cent up so far in the current financial year, and the previous 12 months had themselves seen a 12 per cent upturn.
The 16,000ft sq premises are not in fact working to full capacity even now.
But John Winnard said that the historic building is in some ways holding the firm back.
He added: "There is a chance in the future we may have to move. It is something we have been talking about for some time and it has come up again now after a large leap in sales.
"It's funny because someone was telling me recently that mint-based sweets were in decline, but we seem to be bucking the trend and the fact that the country is in recession.
"It would be nice in some ways to move into large new premises with all the latest technology. This is what we really need if we are going to make major inroads into the supermarket sector.
"But on the other hand the old buildings - which the company has been in since 1919 - are part of its image and that would make it a real wrench. There are not that many suitable and vacant buildings round here either which rather limits our choices but at present we are keeping our options open."
The Santus company and its famous Mint Balls have been part of the Wigan economic scene for well over a century. The Dorning Street premises employs 25 staff who produce about 200 tons of sweets each year.[/color]
ONE of Wigan's most famous businesses could be forced to move out of its home of 90 years in a bid to expand.
Bosses of William Santus and Co, makers of the iconic Uncle Joe's Mint Balls, have seen sales soar during the recession.
John and Antony Winnard are keen to make inroads into the supermarket sector but feel that in order to do so they would have to move to larger, hi-tech premises.
But on the other side of the coin is a perceived shortage of anything suitable and of course the heritage of their old Dorning Street base.
Sales of mintballs and other sweets in the Santus range are 17 per cent up so far in the current financial year, and the previous 12 months had themselves seen a 12 per cent upturn.
The 16,000ft sq premises are not in fact working to full capacity even now.
But John Winnard said that the historic building is in some ways holding the firm back.
He added: "There is a chance in the future we may have to move. It is something we have been talking about for some time and it has come up again now after a large leap in sales.
"It's funny because someone was telling me recently that mint-based sweets were in decline, but we seem to be bucking the trend and the fact that the country is in recession.
"It would be nice in some ways to move into large new premises with all the latest technology. This is what we really need if we are going to make major inroads into the supermarket sector.
"But on the other hand the old buildings - which the company has been in since 1919 - are part of its image and that would make it a real wrench. There are not that many suitable and vacant buildings round here either which rather limits our choices but at present we are keeping our options open."
The Santus company and its famous Mint Balls have been part of the Wigan economic scene for well over a century. The Dorning Street premises employs 25 staff who produce about 200 tons of sweets each year.[/color]
