Bakery factory’s £13M build to create 50 jobs
The Barrow upon Soar, Loughborough-based baker has applied for planning permission from Blaby district council for a 5,574m2 factory at Optimus Point in Glenfield, Leicestershire.
Construction of the factory is expected to finish by 2017.
The company currently employs 150 staff and hopes to employ an additional 50 workers over the next two to three years.
The new factory will bake Geary’s open-topped bread and a selection of its rolls, increasing its production to 1M loaves and 5M rolls a week.
Md Jason Geary said that to keep on increasing capacity, a new bakery would need to be built to meet demand.
‘Keep increasing our capacity’
“We are at 85% capacity in our current factory and to allow us to keep increasing our capacity, we need another bakery to keep up with demand,” Geary told the Leicester Mercury.
“This will also enable Geary’s to provide great working conditions for all our employees who have played a big part in Geary’s success.”
Established in 1906, Geary’s moved to Barrow upon Soar in 2012, following a £1.5M investment.
It has worked with Aldi for the past 12 years, supplying the discount supermarket with breads and rolls.
The company also supplies to food manufacturers, including Greencore, Samworth Brothers and Buckingham Foods.
Turnover of £17M
Geary’s had a turnover of £17M last year and is on track to increase it to £20M by the end of 2016, according to the md.
Geary’s was one of a number of food and drink firms planning to create new jobs as part of factory builds and expansions.
Ready Foods’s new £2M factory expansion has created 25 new jobs with the help of government support, according to the firm.
Meanwhile, Teacake manufacturer Tunnock’s is to create up to 30 jobs at its factory, after announcing a multi-million pound plan to expand its main site in Scotland.
