New Essex £25M jam factory plans get go ahead

14-Apr-2013 - Last updated on 15-Apr-2013 at 15:12 GMT

Global sales of Wilkin & Sons' miniature jams have rocketed

Colchester Borough Council’s planning committee has unanimously approved Wilkin & Sons’ application to build a new £25M jam factory in Tiptree, Essex.

Building the new factory will enable the company to keep its existing 300 employees in the area and create a further 200 roles in the long term, to meet increased demand for miniature jams.

The announcement coincides with the release of Wilkins’ management figures, which report first quarter trading figures for 2013 up 3% on last year and sales from the Tiptree factory exceeding £2.5M for the first time in March.

Ian Thurgood, joint md of Wilkin & Sons, told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “As sales in both UK and export markets continue to grow, news of the planning approval is even more relevant and critical to our business.”

Relevant and critical to our business

Four applications were submitted in total, including a residential development of 244 homes in the locality of the factory.

Thurgood said: “The enabling development for 244 homes can only happen after we’ve made a start on the new factory so careful financial planning is called for now.”

Building works are expected to take around four years to complete.

Existing employees will move to the new factory and additional employment opportunities will be created as the factory reaches completion.