News
UK baking firm signs 15-year lease for new biscuit manufacturing facility
Legat Owen worked with Roberts on the leasing of the newly refurbished 60,600 square foot unit, which is located at Winsford Industrial Estate in Cheshire.
The fourth generation family business has signed a 15-year lease for the facility, which is set within 2.45 acres. Owned by Frank Roberts & Sons Ltd, Roberts was founded in 1887.
The company announced plans to open a new site in Winsford in November 2023, with the facility set to house its biscuit manufacturing division, which is sold under the Little Treats Bakery branding. The new sites is four miles away from the Roberts headquarters in Northwich, with equipment set to be transferred across to the Winsford unit shortly.
The facility is set to serve as a “centre of excellence for biscuit production”, while also providing storage capacity for finished products and raw materials.
‘New chapter in firm's 13-year history’
Roberts is the UK’s fourth-largest baker and secured an £18m cash injection courtesy of an asset-based lending facility provided by Wells Fargo in 2022. In addition to opening a new site in Winsford, the firm is in the process of rebuilding two existing bakeries as part of a wider investment project.
Speaking when plans to open a Winsford site were first announced, managing director Bill Thurston said: “This is a significant investment plan which will allow us to rebuild and revitalise the company and make sure it is fit for the future.
"The business has shown terrific resilience in recent months and we are indebted to the Roberts family, financial backers, key stakeholders and our people who believe in this brand. Now is the time for a new chapter in our 130-year history.”
Meanwhile, Matt Pochin, director at Legat Owen, added: “Winsford Industrial Estate has grown to become a significant regional employment location with major manufacturing and distribution facilities. Roberts Bakery are a notable addition to the Estate and will be creating new jobs and reinforcing Winsford’s position as a key industrial location in the North West.”
Headquartered in Chester and with an office in Nantwich, Legat Owen covers the whole of the UK and advises on all aspects of commercial property and land for both commercial and residential development.
In other news, Heineken has confirmed the sale of the historic Caledonian Brewery site in Edinburgh.
