Anger as linen supplier drops some hospitality customers
A LINEN supplier to the hospitality sector has come under fire for dropping some of its customers in Wales.
Afonwen/Johnsons Hotel Linen, which has a base near Pwllheli, has written to some operators to tell them it can no longer provide a service - giving them three months to find a new supplier.
The business blamed “unprecedented staffing and supply issues” in the pandemic.
The sector has been impacted by both Covid and Brexit.
But loyal customers have criticised the company.
Jonathan Greatorex, owner of The Hand at Llanarmon, was one of those written to by the firm
Bosses told him they could not continue the route that services his Dyffryn Ceiriog site.
In response to the news, he said: “This is very disappointing for Welsh businesses that have remained loyal to this Welsh supplier, especially throughout and following the pandemic.
“The hospitality sector has been one of the hardest-hit sectors and we, as an industry, should be circling the wagons and looking out for each other.
“To be given just 90 days to find a new supplier is very poor customer service indeed.
“Afonwen was a national treasure which, sadly, seems to have now been absorbed into a corporate giant.”
Johnson Service Group acquired Portgrade Ltd and its subsidiary Afonwen Laundry Ltd for £52.6m in 2016.
A spokesperson for Johnsons Hotel Linen said: “We do take on board feedback from our HORECA (Hotel/
Restaurant/Café) clients seriously and will investigate.
“However, as has been reported widely in the media, the pandemic has proved challenging across the whole of the UK in terms of Covid’s impact on staffing within businesses.”