Pukka gears up for growth with £4.5m bakery investment
The investment follows the release of annual figures to May 2020 showing the Leicestershire-based company’s turnover rising to £53.1m and profit up 13.5% at £4.1m.
“Our announcement of continued investment in the Syston bakery will further reinforce Pukka’s position as a key employer in the region, with local people being at the heart of our success and future vision,” said Deborah Ewan, CEO of Pukka.
Foodservice hit
Ewan insists the business remains in good health despite an impact on its foodservice division due to COVID-19, which makes continued investment possible.
“Our sales in retail have continued to rise over the last year, whilst sales in foodservice have reflected the difficulties our customers in this sector have had over this same period; we continue to support our foodservice sector,” she said.
“It is all thanks to the ongoing care and consideration of our committed Pukka colleagues that we have been able to continue baking under stringent health and safety measures in order to do our bit to feed the nation, whilst safeguarding the business for everyone involved with Pukka.”
New launches
Over the past year Pukka has introduced a wealth of NPD into supermarkets. This includes the brand’s first step into plant-based food with a range of vegan pies, the launch of Chicken Balti, a limited-edition Vegan Tikka Masala pie and the Just For Two range, designed for two people to share.
“Despite all the turmoil in the market, our ambition hasn’t changed,” said Ewan. “We want to put more pies on more plates more often and that means a significant investment to ensure we are enhancing the capability and capacity of our bakery.
“We’re a family run business that started making and baking pies in 1963 and we are still looking for ways to innovate and improve our business to make sure we are giving the people of Britain what they want. We have exciting plans for 2021 and are confident that Pukka will continue to grow for many years to come.”
