HRH The Princess Royal will officially open the Lang Stracht factory and showroom of Aberdeen-based Glencraft, manufacturer and supplier of high-quality, handmade mattresses, on February 19, 2016.
The social enterprise moved into the new 21,000 sq ft, purpose built premises in July 2015, which has allowed for a more streamlined manufacturing process and an upgraded working environment for all employees, around 80 per cent of whom are disadvantaged, disabled or visually impaired. From here, the team has been continuing to provide customers, both locally and nationally, with a good night’s sleep.
Duncan Skinner, chairman at Glencraft has said: “We are absolutely honoured, and delighted, to welcome the HRH The Princess Royal to visit and officially open our factory. We have been working incredibly hard since moving here in the summer of 2015, and this is a great way to celebrate the dedication and effort each of our team has put into the business.”
Graham McWilliam, general manager at Glencraft, added: “We are incredibly proud of Glencraft’s history and heritage, especially having provided four generations of Royals with a good night’s sleep - Balmoral Castle has hosted Glencraft mattresses since Glencraft was established.
“We’re lucky enough to have had previous visits from the Royal family, from both HRH The Queen and HRH The Princess Alexandra. HRH The Princess Royal actually officially opened our previous site on Wellington Road in 1998, giving us the opportunity to reflect on how far we have come in that time. It means so much to have the support of the Royal family, and the day will be a very special one.”
During the visit HRH The Princess Royal will be given a guided tour of the factory and will be shown the stages of how a piece of wire is transformed into a finished Glencraft product. Using only materials and products produced in the UK, a Glencraft mattress starts out life as a piece of wire, which is crafted into individual coils then bound together with additional coils to create the desired size of mattress. Moving through the factory, material and padding are added and sewn into place to ensure that every Glencraft mattress owner gets the best night’s sleep.
Since expanding into the Lang Stracht site, Glencraft secured a contract with major retailer Argos to supply their mattresses and beds, seeing their products reach all corners of the UK. Adding to this success, Glencraft were also named Social Enterprise of the Year at the 2015 UK Private Business Awards.