Pizza oven business is starting to deliver

Ben Truelove (left) with Ian Parker (right) and Tim White at Whites in Redditch.

A Midlands supplier of pizza ovens has cooked up a major expansion – with the help of property agents John Truslove.

White’s Foodservice Equipment has tripled the size of its premises, moving within Redditch from North Moons Moat to South Moons Moat where it has taken more than 5,400 sq ft at 8 Padgets Lane.

It says the continued popularity of pizza gave it the appetite to make the switch.

A supplier to Domino’s Pizza, supermarkets, schools, hospitals, pubs, takeaways and other retail outlets, the new facility is now fully operational.

Tim White, owner and managing director, said the company had invested £50,000-plus in tailoring the building to its requirements.

A showroom has been created while offices have been accommodated on a new mezzanine floor.

Mr White said: “The showroom is a bit like a pizza school with working ovens.

“We see it as a one-stop-shop for pizza. Clients can come along with their ingredients and try the ovens out.”

Mr White, who has been nearly 30 years in the sector, launched the business in 2010. It has been growing at roughly 50 per cent a year and now has a turnover of £1.6 million.

Ovens are imported from the United States and Italy. A few are exported on to the likes of Russia, Cyprus and Bulgaria.

Previously the firm had some small satellite operations including Northampton and Meriden, but all is now in the one place. “We needed to take the next step,” said Mr White. “It was vital we did so.”

The company looked at a number of sites in Redditch and elsewhere before settling on Padgets Lane.

“We were quite picky,” said Mr White, praising John Truslove director Ben Truslove for his patience. “But we kept coming back to Redditch because of the value for money it offers. The Padgets Lane premises were the right place at the right amount of cost.”

And, he notes, Redditch has businesses on the spot when parts and accessories need fabricating or tables and work benches are required. “Everything is on your doorstep. It is easy to source locally. The town has a diverse range of manufacturing skills.”

Ben Truslove noted: “The public are still in love with pizza and White’s Foodservice Equipment is there for everyone who sells pizza commercially.

“It is great to see a local business earning a decent crust and expanding its base.”