Cleaning Hygiene Today Cleaning Hygiene Magazine
Northwood – a leading manufacturer of professional paper hygiene and wiping products – is celebrating its 50th year in business with record growth and a £750,000 investment into a new office space at its headquarters in Telford.
Northwood, which employes 1,100 people across 10 UK sites, has seen its gross sales turnover increase from £236 million to £493 million in the last five years, with external sales growing by 86 per cent from 14 million to 26 million cases per year. Now, the family-run business has expanded its operation as it eyes further growth.
To mark its 50th anniversary, Northwood purchased a 16,850 square foot building, which has been converted into its new corporate head office. Named Northwood House, the new building was officially opened on 15 October by Chairman Paul Fecher.
Fecher said: “We are tremendously proud to be celebrating 50 years in business this year. When I established Northwood way back in 1974, we had just one site and a few staff. Over the past five decades we have grown rapidly to become an industry leader that now employs 1100 people. As we expand further, we have a firm commitment to recruit locally and continue to support schools and colleges, as well as local and national community initiatives.
“It’s a privilege to open this flexible, modern workspace in the heart of Telford and I am delighted to see our business investing and working hard to secure a strong future, whilst also helping to boost the local economy.”
Fifty people are based at Northwood’s new office at Stafford Park 10 in Telford. Northwood is currently recruiting for a number of roles following continued growth at its Telford site.
This year, as part of its ongoing commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, Northwood donated 14,400 toilet rolls to the Trussel Fund food banks to coincide with National Food Bank Day.
Twenty volunteers from the business also gave around 200 volunteer hours to re-establish footpaths and steps at the Telford Millennium Nature Reserve, a 44-acre nature reserve, which provides a haven for wildlife.
As a true UK manufacturer with a domestic supply chain, Northwood is focused on a full circle economy to reduce waste, decrease energy consumption and lower its carbon footprint. The business is involved throughout the supply chain, including raw material, manufacturing, end user product converting, storage and transportation, using green technologies at every stage to lower its footprint.
