Gibsons takes bigger bite of sandwich market

Sandwich maker Gibsons has expanded it operations with the purchase of a second manufacturing site at Devizes.

Production will begin this month at the 3,330m2former Uniq sandwich plant, which closed in November last year.

Gibsons, which is the exclusive manufacturer of Weight Watchers sandwiches, wraps, rolls, and supplies own-label sandwiches to retail, said the expansion will enable it to launch a number of new products. "This expansion will allow us to expand the business and provide us with the opportunity to be more aggressive in the market place, develop new product ranges and secure new business," said chairman Edward Gibson.

Sandwich filling and salad company Fridays will also expand this month with the move to a new £2m 2,150m2production plant near its existing site in Cranbrook, Kent. The company will switch production to the new site by the middle of this month, a move which will enable it to more than double its production capacity to 80t of fillings a week.

As part of the expansion, Fridays will launch its first branded range, consisting of fillings, salads and dips.