Burts Potato Chips creates 60 jobs
The former Savoury & Sweet site is already home to 120 employees, with the expansion creating a further 64 roles across the business, including line leaders, fryers, machine operators, production operatives, quality assurance technicians and warehouse staff.
David Nairn, managing director of Burts, said: “Since acquiring the Leicester-based Sweet & Savoury in 2017, the business has gone from strength to strength, delivering a combined turnover of £44m in the last year and increasing the number of jobs available by over 20% to 350 across the business.
Dedication to staff
“While we’re proud of our success in 2018, the growth into 2019 has seen the business set its sights on delivering a 25% year-on-year growth and has succeeded in achieving 26% in Q1. Our ambition is to continue to accelerate the business to become one of the largest independent premium snacking brands in the UK, and it is the dedication of our staff which will enable us to do so.”
The manufacturer has added an extra 5,574m2 of floor space to the existing 6,596m2 production facility and has upgraded and implemented new machinery at the site, including new hand-cooked potato chip lines and a compression popping line. Burts also added further capacity to its popcorn lines to meet the growth in customer demand.
Open days
Burts planned to host a series of open days at the Leicester plant to provide job-seekers with an opportunity to speak to existing employees and experience what it’s like to work at the factory before applying for vacancies.
Meanwhile, Signature Flatbreads has created 50 jobs so far this year and is raising factory wages to a base level of £9 an hour – above the Government's National Living Wage.
