Lees of Scotland facts for kids
 |
|
| Industry | Confectionery |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1931 in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland |
| Founder | John Justice Lees |
| Headquarters |
Coatbridge
,
Scotland
|
|
Area served
|
United Kingdom |
| Products | Meringues, snowballs, teacakes and confectionery bars |
|
Number of employees
|
200 (2017) |
Lees Foods Limited, often called Lees of Scotland, is a company in Coatbridge, Scotland. They make yummy sweets like meringues and other treats.
About Lees of Scotland
How It Started
Lees of Scotland started way back in 1931. A man named John Justice Lees, whose dad was a grocer, founded the company.
John was trying to invent a new chocolate bar in a small workshop above his family's shop. He didn't quite get the chocolate bar right. But then, he tried covering it in coconut as an experiment. This led to the creation of the famous Lees Macaroon bar!
What They Make
The very first products Lees made were the Lees Macaroon bar and the Lees Snowball. Over time, they added more tasty treats. These included tablet (a Scottish sweet), fudge, and coconut ice bars.
In 1982, Lees started another company called Heather Cameron Foods. This new part of the business focused on making meringues. Seven years later, Lees bought Heather Cameron Foods completely, making it fully their own.
The company faced some tough times in the 1980s. Because of this, it was sold to another company called Fine Foods in 1991. However, just two years later, in 1993, Lees of Scotland became an independent company again.
How They Operate
Lees of Scotland used to have two factories in Coatbridge. One factory made Heather Cameron meringues. The other factory produced snowballs, teacakes, and other confectionery bars.
In August 1998, the company moved into a much bigger building. This new factory is about 82,000 square feet! It was big enough to make all of the company's products in one place.
Around 200 people work at the factory in Coatbridge. In 2017, the company reported sales of £26.4 million. The factory has nine different production lines. It also uses special cloud computing technology. This helps them run a "just-in-time" supply system. This means they get materials exactly when they need them.
Most of Lees' sales, about 80%, are in Scotland. This is because people in other parts of the United Kingdom are not as familiar with tablet or macaroon sweets.
The company's fun slogan is: "Lees, Lees, more if you please."
