Major jobs boost at former Alberto Culver site

Over 100 new jobs are coming to Swansea thanks to a major manufacturer of cosmetics and food supplements.

Swansea Council has agreed to sell its freehold interest in the Alberto Culver site at Llansamlet Enterprise Park to the Dr Organic Group, a South Wales-based company founded by local entrepreneurs Steve Quinn and Fred Whitcomb.

The 18.75 acre site has been unoccupied since the autumn of 2012 following Alberto Culver/Unilever’s decision to close its Swansea operation. The company’s manufacturing was moved to Merseyside and a facility in Poland, leading to 60 job losses in Swansea.

Dr Organic anticipates their move to the site will open up to 110 jobs within a period of two to three years. The company is proposing a distribution, manufacturing, design centre and head office facility at the Swansea site that would help consolidate its operations across the UK and Europe.

Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “Alberto Culver/Unilever’s decision to close its Swansea operation three years ago was extremely disappointing, but we’ve been working hard ever since to mitigate the impact of their decision and attract high-quality manufacturing jobs to the site once again.

“This is hugely positive news because the sale of our freehold interest in the site won’t just lead to the creation of over 100 well-paid jobs – it’ll also send out a strong, positive message that Swansea is a business-friendly city.

“Facilities like the Enterprise Park in Llansamlet and the development of a strategic business park at Felindre that benefit from superb communication links mean Swansea is well-placed to attract and accommodate major employers. This helps boost the Swansea Bay City Region economy as a whole.”

Dr Organic, founded in 2009, already exports goods like organic beauty care products to customers in 58 countries across the world. The Group’s turnover for 2014 was £34.3 million.

Steve Quinn, from Dr Organic, said: “We are delighted to be consolidating our European operations in Swansea. The site provides us with a strong platform for expansion and as a business we expect to double in size over the course of the next three years. The quality of Swansea’s infrastructure and communication links, together with the availability of skilled labour, played a major part in our decision.”