History

Founded by William George, the brother of former British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George and two business partners, one of whom was a local preacher!

David and Elsie Owen joined as Managers of Afonwen and then purchased the business during the Second World War

Supported war effort, washing linen from several military training camps including HMS Glendowner, RAF Valley and others throughout North Wales. Blankets often laid out in the surrounding fields in the Summer months to dry!

After the war, the business returned to focus on domestic houses throughout the local area whilst continuing its military connections washing several demobilisation camps using Ex Army lorries for deliveries/collections as well as laundry arriving by railway wagons from Z Reservist military camps

Expanded geographically throughout Gwynedd focussing on its domestic service to  local houses and country estates

Purchased by Paul Woolfenden who previously had purchased Hillside Laundry and Tuebrook Laundry both in Liverpool with the Owen family staying involved in the business for 4 years to ensure a smooth transfer

Launched a delivery and collection linen rental service in Llandudno, North Wales’ Premier seaside resort

Purchased Porthmadog Laundry and merged business into Afonwen Laundry

Stopped all domestic laundry services to concentrate on hotel market Installed first Continuous Batch Washer

Entered into marketing agreement with Brooks Service Group plc, then one of UK’s leading national linen hire companies

Moved business 800 yards to new purpose-built factory costing over £550,000, processing up to 180,000 items of linen a week and installed new Continuous Batch Washer

Built a 3000 sq.ft factory extension to new factory as volumes rose

Purchased a second Continuous Batch Washer

Mark Woolfenden, now managing Director, enters business as second generation of Woolfenden family working for Afonwen

Processed over 400,000 items of linen for first time in company’s history.

Purchased turnover and customers from Brooks’ Liverpool factory which the company previously sold to Brooks and processed over 500,000 items of linen a week for first time.

Terminated marketing agreement with Brooks following its collapse and returned to being fully independent company.

Opened £750,000 water treatment plant to treat all effluent at Afonwen Pwllheli site with support from Welsh Assembly Government

Established Whiteriver Laundry in Leeds and marketing its service across Yorkshire.

Afonwen processed almost 600,000 items of linen a week at peak of Summer.

Opened £6m production facility in Cardiff with support from Welsh Assembly Government.

Launched delivery/collection service throughout South Wales, Bristol, Bath, Birmingham, Exeter, Oxford, Reading, Windsor and to edge of London.

Processed over 1 million items of linen a week for first time.

Secured £1m financial support from Finance Wales, an investment arm of the Welsh Assembly Government, to support continued growth.

Processed over 50 million items of linen in the year.

Featured in Real Business magazine “HOT 100” as 12th fastest growing private UK company. Featured in Welsh Business Insider magazine Top 200 companies in Wales.

Launched delivery and collection service to Southampton/Portsmouth areas.

Invested further £1.5m in North Wales operation to improve energy efficiency & capacity. 

Processed over 1.3 million items of linen a week for first time it its history.

Won Wales "Fast Growth 50" Fastest Growing Business to Business Sector Company.

Opened new facility at London Heathrow to cover whole of London and South East market following customer demand. Launched service in North East of England from our Leeds distribution business, Whiteriver Laundry

Raised £6m to refinance the business to enable business to continue to expand its operation.

Announced further major expansion of Cardiff production facility with 20,000 sq ft extension, substantial investment in further laundry machinery and creating capacity to handle 1.75m items of linen a week.

Distributed over 1.6m items of linen a week for first time on a regular basis

Overall Winner "Fast Growth 50", being the fastest growing company in Wales and also the fastest growing business to business company in Wales, in annual competition run by Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, Director of Enterprise and Innovation at the University of Wales in partnership with the Western Mail newspaper.

And so the story continues .................