Latest news with #DeliLites
ITV News
5 days ago
- Business
- ITV News
Newry sandwich firm's multi-million pound investment creates jobs and upskills workforce
Some 130 jobs are to be created at a sandwich firm in Co Down. Deli Lites is planning a £12.8 million investment to automate the company's production and broaden its product range. The move is being supported by Invest NI's Agri-Food Investment Initiative, while a further £6 million investment by the company is to help upskill the existing workforce and create 130 jobs in Warrenpoint. The new jobs include senior positions such as a new chief commercial officer. Deli Lites was established in 1998 by husband and wife Brian and Jackie Reid and supplies fresh gourmet sandwiches and food-to-go products to convenience stores, supermarkets, major coffee chains and international airlines. Its customers include Applegreen, Costa Coffee, Aer Lingus and American Airlines. Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald hailed the investment. 'The north's food and drink processing sector is a true local success story, with latest statistics showing that it generates £6.5 billion in sales and supports over 25,500 jobs across our towns and countryside,' she said. 'This investment will unlock significant growth opportunities for Deli Lites in this exciting sector. 'Increased capacity and new automated equipment will boost productivity and enable it to expand its fresh and frozen ranges, growing its sales in Britain and Ireland, and open up additional export markets. 'With 78% of our food and drink sold outside the north, this industry showcases the quality, innovation, and global appeal of what we produce right here at home. 'The creation of 130 new jobs in Warrenpoint, which will help leverage almost £10 million in wages and salaries across the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area by 2027, is also good news as we work to deliver a more regionally balanced economy.' Brian Reid, chief executive at Deli Lites, said: 'Since our beginnings over 30 years ago, we are now an all-Ireland business with export sales growing in international markets. 'We've always been a trailblazer in our sector, shown when we became the first sandwich maker in the UK and Ireland to achieve B Corp certification.' Jackie Reid, co-founder and CSO at Deli Lites, said: 'Bringing even more products to our snacking and convenience range and investing in production and automation will significantly increase our capacity and customer reach. 'We're delighted to be growing our team in Warrenpoint to bring further expertise into the business and help us achieve our vision, to transform how the world experiences food on the move.' Grainne Moody, director of food and drink at Invest NI, said the project builds on its previous support for the firm to develop its product range for the European market. 'Its success has positioned the company to become a key supplier for the global airlines sector,' she said. 'This new project will increase innovation and boost productivity by transforming labour-intensive processes and increasing digitalisation.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Deli Lites: Warrenpoint food company to create 130 jobs
A Warrenpoint food company that currently produces 84,000 sandwiches a day hopes to expand substantially thanks to a £19m investment in jobs and well as a number of high street cafes, Deli Lites has a large manufacturing base at the Milltown Industrial Estate in the County Down firm currently employs more than 300 people, but will invest more than £6m to add a further 130 jobs, including skilled positions and 10 management the firm's customers are supermarkets, coffee chains and international airlines. Co-founded by husband and wife Jackie and Brian Reid, the firm hopes a further £12.8m investment in automation will help it broaden its product range, increase on-site capacity and reduce firm currently has four premises at Milltown, but given its proximity to Warrenpoint Port and the main motorway network, finding suitable industrial space in Warrenpoint has been a long-term of this, Brian Reid said the expansion will see the further expansion of existing sites rather than the development of a new one."We're going to invest money here in Warrenpoint, in south Down," he said."But space is at a premium in the industrial estate that we are in. "But we have a plan to invest heavily in the capital, the automation and the AI integration here at Warrenpoint to make it into a world class manufacturing site. "That'll allow us to service customers wherever they are in the world." Like many manufacturing businesses, finding staff has been a challenge."It isn't at all easy, but we have a great team in the business that will be focused on going out and recruiting these people," Ms Reid said."There's incentives for our staff to see if they have friends or family that would be interested in a career here. "This isn't just operative level on the floor. There are careers here in technical, sales, marketing, commercial, logistics."Speaking at Thursday's launch event, Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald said: "This is a company looking for new markets for their products and this investment will allow them to do that. "They've based themselves locally, they already employ over 300 people locally and are going to employ more people locally so this is a major announcement here today." The project has been supported by Invest NI's Agri-Food Investment Moody, Invest NI's director of food and drink, said: "The food and drink sector is very important to Northern Ireland and has been very heavily dependent on labour."But we have a productivity challenge in the sector so this initiative is about helping business to become more competitive, more productive and more efficient."Good jobs are obviously an element, but the productivity piece is the key element. "There is an expectation when you invest in automation that you won't be investing in jobs. "But what we are finding is that there is an investment in high value jobs."
Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Co Down food manufacturer plans 130 new jobs as part of £19m investment
Deli Lites is set to spend £19m increasing automation, broadening product ranges and upskilling the current workforce, along with hiring new staff. The company is also aiming to reduce food waste by as much as 50%, expand its heat-to-eat product range, and grow its business in supplying food to airlines. Of the overall investment, £12.8m will be spent on increasing automation, while £6m will be used for upskilling current staff and hiring others. The investment was announced during an event at Deli Lites' Warrenpoint facility on Thursday, which was attended by the Economy Minister. Dr Caoimhe Archibald said: 'The North's food and drink processing sector is a true local success story, with latest statistics showing that it generates £6.5bn in sales and supports over 25,500 jobs across our towns and countryside. 'This investment will unlock significant growth opportunities for Deli Lites in this exciting sector. 'Increased capacity and new automated equipment will boost productivity and enable it to expand its fresh and frozen ranges, growing its sales in Britain and Ireland, and open up additional export markets. 'With 78% of our food and drink sold outside the North, this industry showcases the quality, innovation, and global appeal of what we produce right here at home. 'The creation of 130 new jobs in Warrenpoint, which will help leverage almost £10m in wages and salaries across the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area by 2027, is also good news as we work to deliver a more regionally balanced economy.' Deli Lites was founded by husband and wife Brian and Jackie Reid in 1998. It makes sandwiches and other food-to-go products, with its customers including Aer Lingus, American Airlines, Applegreen and Costa Coffee. CEO Brian Reid said: 'We are now an all-Ireland business with export sales growing in international markets. 'We've always been a trailblazer in our sector, shown when we became the first sandwich maker in the UK and Ireland to achieve B Corp certification.' Jackie Reid, chief strategy officer, added: 'Bringing even more products to our snacking and convenience range and investing in production and automation will significantly increase our capacity and customer reach. 'We're delighted to be growing our team in Warrenpoint to bring further expertise into the business and help us achieve our vision, to transform how the world experiences food on the move.' Deli Lites' investment is being backed by Invest NI's Agri-Food Investment Initiative, a £46m scheme designed to 'support local agri-food and drink processors to improve competitiveness and productivity'. Gráinne Moody, director of food and drink at Invest NI, said: 'This significant project builds on our previous support for Deli Lites to develop its product range for the European market. Its success has positioned the company to become a key supplier for the global airlines sector. 'This new project will increase innovation and boost productivity by transforming labour-intensive processes and increasing digitalisation. Our overseas trade teams are also working with Deli Lites to explore new international markets as it grows.'
