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 famous company in Coatbridge, Scotland. They make delicious sweets and meringues. You might know them for their tasty Snowballs or Macaroon bars!
How Lees Started
Lees of Scotland began in 1931. A man named John Justice Lees started it. He was the son of a shop owner in Coatbridge. John wanted to make a new chocolate bar. He tried to make a smooth chocolate fondant. It didn't quite work out. But then, he tried covering it in coconut. This experiment led to the super popular Lees Macaroon bar!
The very first sweets Lees made were the Macaroon bar and the Lees Snowball. Later, the company added more treats. These included tablet, fudge, and coconut ice bars.
In 1982, Lees started a new part of the company. It was called Heather Cameron Foods. This part focused on making meringues. Seven years later, Lees bought the whole company. They became the full owner of Heather Cameron Foods. The company faced some tough times in the 1980s. It was sold to a company called Fine Foods in 1991. But just two years later, Lees became independent again.
How Lees Works Today
Lees used to have two factories in Coatbridge. One made Heather Cameron meringues. The other made snowballs, teacakes, and other sweets. In 1998, the company moved to a much bigger building. This new factory is about 82,000 square feet. It can make all of Lees' products in one place.
Around 200 people work at the factory in Coatbridge. In 2017, the company made about £26.4 million in sales. The factory has nine different production lines. They use special computer technology called cloud computing. This helps them run a "just-in-time" system. This means they make products right when they are needed. This helps them save money and be efficient.
Most of Lees' sales, about 80%, are in Scotland. 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!"
