Welsh bakery creating 150 jobs in £47m expansion
Welsh bakery creating 150 jobs in £47m expansion
The business is ramping up its production and storage capacity
Jones Village bakery Wrexham: chief executive Simon Thorpe and Wrexham councillor Nigel Williams.
(Image: Picture Mandy Jones )
Jones Village Bakery is investing £47m to expand its production and storage capacity in a move that will create 150 new jobs.
The investment will see a new £20m production line to make bread and rolls at its headquarters site on Wrexham Industrial Estate.
When it becomes operational, the 140,000 sq ft bakery in Ash Road will be full to capacity.
It is also planning to convert and extend a storage facility that was built on a nearby site of the company's bakery that was destroyed by a devastating fire in 2019.
The scheme will see an additional investment of £27m and the new bakery will enable the company to continue to ramp up production.
Last year private equity firm Limerston Capital sold its majority stake in the business to French bakery venture Menissez. In financial year to the end of September, 2023, Village Bakery employed 740 with revenues of nearly £100m.
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Its chief executive Simon Thorpe said: "This is the beginning of yet another new and exciting chapter in the Village Bakery success story.
"Our plan is to rise, phoenix-like from the ashes and turn the old fire site where the bakery burned down into a state-of-the-art facility.
"Once again we will be marrying the very best equipment available with our craft bakery skills so we can make even more fantastic products in greater volume."
Projects director Kris Green said: "The additional capacity is needed because of our burgeoning order book thanks to the growing appetite for our products, not just here in the UK but also across Europe and as far afield as Australia.
"It's going to enable us to make a wider range of products with a real focus on quality."
Former managing director and chief executive, Robin Jones said: "Between them, these two major investments will create 150 new jobs – 30 of them at the site of the former bakery that was destroyed.
"It was a heartbreaking experience but thankfully nobody was hurt and our darkest day also became our finest hour.
"We are now growing faster than ever and his is great news for Wrexham and the local economy."
Nigel Williams, Wrexham County Borough Council's lead member for economy, business and tourism, said: "How the company has bounced back after the fire and the growth they've had since then is phenomenal – the company is a great ambassador for Wrexham.
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"It's great to hear that they have the confidence to continue investing in Wrexham – their commitment to Wrexham is 100% and the extra jobs coming here are great news for the local economy.
"It's very much a family brand and a place to work with a family ethos which is nice to see nowadays."
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