Food and drink recruitment round-up
Village bakery creates 50 jobs
The Village Bakery has created 50 new jobs and is close to completing a new ‘super bakery’ to replace the one lost in a fire last year.
Managing director Robin Jones said: “It’s absolutely remarkable how we’ve got back on track, how we’ve rebuilt our production capabilities, how the staff have reacted and also how we’ve come through COVID as well.
“Since the fire we have created 50 new jobs and the new bakery is the embodiment of our faith in the future. It was clear our customers were impressed with the way we responded and thankfully they stayed with us.”
The new 13,006m2 bakery in Ash Road will be more than three times the size of the one it’s replacing and the shell of the building is now complete.
It will also include a new baking academy and a ‘cutting-edge’ new product development kitchen – twice the size of the original one. Once complete, the site will be “the most modern bakery in Europe”.
Construction for the main building and production area is expected to be finished by the end of September 2020, while the office block, baking academy and development kitchen to be finished by January 2021.
Logistics firm recruitment drive
Cold storage and food logistic business Oakland International is planning to create up to 400 jobs at a new warehouse in Leicestershire.
The recruitment drive followed a £4m investment in fitting out the 20,903m2 unit it Bardon, near Coalville – set to open next week. The site will be used to pack and distribute meal delivery kits for companies such as the Mindful Chef, as well as dairy products and cooked meats.
Plans have been made to take on 120 new workers by the end of September, with a further 60 to 80 roles to be filled by the end of the year.
Commenting on the new site, chief executive Dean Attwell said: “We were standing at around 500-550 staff and we’ve already taken on 90-100 for Bardon – which should be 120 by the end of September – where there will be capacity for 350-400.
“I think it could get to that level quite quickly considering the direction we are moving in.”
Fresh fruit supplier to fill vacancies
AMK Fresh, part of the AM Fresh Group, is to fill 85 vacancies across its factory in Peterborough.
The firm, which processes fresh fruit and vegetables for supermarket giant Tesco, is hiring for roles across general operatives, machine operatives and line leaders.
A number of power pallet truck driver positions are also available, with the company prepared to train for the role depending on the applicants.
A spokesman for the company told local publication the Peterborough Telegraph: “This is temporary work but all roles come with the opportunity to go permanent with AMK.
“This could be either a really good stop gap for people out of work due to the pandemic or a chance to start a brand new career in a production and warehouse environment.”
Meanwhile, HelloFresh, the meal kit business, has secured a factory at Bermuda Industrial Park, Nuneaton, as part of a plan to help meet soaring demand that is set to create 1,400 jobs.
