A double investment of £47 million at a fast growing bakery in North Wales will create 150 new jobs.
The Jones Village Bakery has revealed it’s going to be installing a £20 million state-of-the-art production line to make bread and rolls at its headquarters site on Wrexham Industrial Estate.
When it becomes operational, the 140,000 sq ft bakery in Ash Road will be full to capacity.
At the same time the company is planning to convert and extend a storage facility that was built on the nearby site of the company’s bakery that was destroyed by a devastating fire in 2019.
The scheme will see an additional investment of £27 million and the new bakery will enable the company to continue to ramp up production.
CEO Simon Thorpe said: “This is the beginning of yet another new and exciting chapter in the Village Bakery success story.
“Our plan is to rise, phoenix-like from the ashes and turn the old fire site where the bakery burned down into a state-of-the-art facility
“Once again we will be marrying the very best equipment available with our craft bakery skills so we can make even more fantastic products in greater volume.
“As well as creating 30 jobs at the new bakery, it’s going to give us the ability to deliver truly innovative products with the equipment and capability being installed.
Meanwhile, the new production line in the company’s flagship bakery in Ash Road is due to be up and running before the end of the year.
It was built in the aftermath of the disastrous fire nearly six years ago and is four times the size of the one it replaced.
Projects director Kris Green said: “We have some really fantastic people who work for the Village Bakery and my role is to give them the best possible tools to do the job so they can continue to innovate and bake the best bread in the business.
“The additional capacity is needed because of our burgeoning order book thanks to the growing appetite for our products, not just here in the UK but also across Europe and as far afield as Australia.
“It’s going to enable us to make a wider range of products with a real focus on quality.”
It’s a proud moment for Robin Jones who has steered the company, both as managing director and CEO, during a period of spectacular growth.
He said: “Between them, these two major investments will create 150 new jobs – 30 of them at the site of the former bakery that was destroyed.
“It was a heartbreaking experience but thankfully nobody was hurt and our darkest day also became our finest hour.
“We are now growing faster than ever and his is great news for Wrexham and the local economy.”
Cllr Nigel Williams, Wrexham County Borough Council’s Lead member for Economy, Business and Tourism, was briefed about the expansion plans during a tour of the bakery.
He said: “I’ve obviously been aware of the Village Bakery brand for years, being a Wrexham person myself and what I’ve seen and heard today is fantastic.
“How they bounced back after the fire and the growth they’ve had since then is phenomenal – the company is a great ambassador for Wrexham.
“It’s great to hear that they have the confidence to continue investing in Wrexham – their commitment to Wrexham is 100 per cent and the extra jobs coming here are great news for the local economy.
“It’s very much a family brand and a place to work with a family ethos which is nice to see nowadays.”
