Wrexham-based manufacturer Jones Village Bakery has announced a double investment totalling £47m to ramp up production, with 150 new jobs created.
Plans to install a state-of-the-art production line to make morning goods (bread and rolls) at its main bakery and headquarters in Wrexham Industrial Estate had already been unveiled last year when it was acquired by Menissez Bakery Group. The price tag of the line has now been confirmed as £20m and is expected to be up and running before the end of the year, bringing the 140,000 sq ft ‘super bakery’ on Ash Road up to full capacity.
At the same time, Jones Village Bakery is spending £27m on converting and extending a storage facility into a new bakery. The site, located nearby at the same estate, is where its original bakery was destroyed by fire in 2019.
“This is the beginning of yet another new and exciting chapter in the Village Bakery success story,” commented CEO Simon Thorpe. “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,” added Thorpe. “As well as creating 30 jobs at the new bakery, it’s going to give us the ability to deliver truly innovative products with the equipment and capability being installed.”
Jones Village Bakery projects director Kris Green noted that the additional capacity was needed due to a “burgeoning order book” with a growing appetite for its ranges coming from not just 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,” he added.
Robin Jones, who previously steered the company both as managing director and CEO during a period of spectacular growth, heralded the two major investments that are set to create 150 new jobs. “We are now growing faster than ever and his is great news for Wrexham and the local economy,” he said.
These sentiments were echoed by Cllr Nigel Williams, Wrexham County Borough Council’s lead member for Economy, Business and Tourism, who was briefed about the expansion plans during a tour of the bakery. “How they bounced back after the fire and the growth they’ve had since then is phenomenal – the company is a great ambassador for Wrexham,” he commented. “It’s very much a family brand and a place to work with a family ethos which is nice to see nowadays.”
Last October, Jones Village Bakery announced it was looking to recruit 50 more staff members after landing two new deals to supply gluten-free products to seven markets in the Middle East. It currently employs over 900 staff across its three separate sites in Wrexham Industrial Estate as well as a factory in nearby Minera.
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