Leicestershire-based Geary’s Bakeries is to relocate to a new site and double production of its loaves, following a £1m investment.

Joint managing director Tony Marriott told British Baker that Geary’s hopes to be up and running at its new bakery, in Barrow upon Soar, by the end of March 2010. “The company is relocating from its original site – in Ratby – where it has been for 104 years,” he said.

The move is due to the increasing logistical difficulties of, for example, getting supplies, such as flour silo deliveries to the bakery, which is currently located in the centre of a village. “It’s also now a very old building,” said Marriott.

The move will enable the bakery to ramp up its production. “We currently produce around 700-800,000 speciality rolls a week and about 50,000 loaves a week – and we are expecting to be able to produce 100,000 loaves a week,” he said.

The firm has been working on getting the new site ready since June last year, including extensions to the building. The new bakery, based in Hayhill Industrial Estate, is only 10 miles from the old site, but was not previously a bakery, so there has been a lot of work involved, explained Marriott. “Travelling ovens are being put in at the moment, and the provers are already in,” he added.

Geary’s had been looking for a suitable site for about three years. Marriott said it had been important to find one close to the original bakery, so that the existing staff could easily move with the firm.

The bakery employs around 70 staff at present, but Marriott said there are hopes to employ around 110 staff when the new site is fully up and running.

Geary’s predominantly produces bread and rolls for major retailers and sandwich producers, including Samworth Brothers and Uniq.