Princess Royal Braves Freezing Conditions to Open Yearsley Group's new £12 Million Cold Store

Yearsley Group the national distributor of frozen food has opened a new depot at Seaham in County Durham. Although previously serving this region from their head office in the North West, a dedicated North East depot was seen to provide a more efficient and frequent service to this area.

The £12 million Depot, which opened for business in the Summer, was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal.

The Princess spent over an hour meeting staff and touring the state-of-the-art complex. During the visit the Princess spent several minutes in the depot's 22,000 pallet cold store. Here temperatures are controlled at around minus 28 degrees Centigrade. This capacity is on schedule to increase to 33,000 pallets when a third phase is added during 2005.

Later Her Royal Highness unveiled a plaque to open the building and told employees and guests "It is lovely to see a family company which has done so well. It is your 50th anniversary next year and I think it is a considerable achievement".

The depot, which opened its doors in August, currently employs 50 people. When the development of the site is completed next year the local workforce is expected to have grown to 150.

The Yearsley Group, founded in 1955 and with a turnover in excess of £75 million this year, is believed to be the largest privately owned frozen food distributor in the UK. It operates from two depots in the North West, one in Birmingham and two in Kent. The company's 100-strong fleet of temperature-controlled vehicles - 20 of them based in Seaham - deliver to wholesalers, retailers, caterers and other institutions across Britain and Europe.