NEWRY-headquartered fast-growing food-to-go manufacturer Around Noon is opening a new factory at Slough Trading Estate near London as part of a major investment plan which will create 200 more jobs, bringing its total workforce to more than 1,000
The company - which recently acquired the north London-based Soho Sandwich Company - has also enjoyed strong organic growth in recent times, including securing a series of large contracts in the travel, foodservice and coffee sectors.
To facilitate its future expansion, Around Noon acquired a new 30,000 sq ft factory in Slough, which will become its sixth manufacturing facility.
Chief executive Gareth Chambers said: “We've grown our run rate at Around Noon in Slough from £4 million a year in 2018 to around £30 million today.
“We now manufacture over 400,000 products a week at the existing Slough factory and are really pleased to have secured additional premises at Slough Trading Estate to support our ongoing growth.”
Located just 25 miles from London, Slough Trading Estate is home to a wide range of different-sized companies across multiple sectors, including Mars, Ferrari, DHL, Lanes Group and UCB.
It is run by SEGRO, a UK Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) listed on the London Stock Exchange, which owns, manages and develops modern warehouses and industrial property.
SEGRO's Thames Valley managing director James Craddock said: “This is a wonderful example of how the quality and management of our workspace combined with our flexibility and understanding of our customers’ property needs has enabled us to retain and grow our diverse customer base on the Slough Trading Estate.
“Around Noon is a strong, growing business and we’re delighted to have been able to accommodate them in this upgraded facility and enable their business growth, particularly at a time when the vacancy rate at Slough Trading Estate remains very low at 2.7 per cent.”
Around Noon, which was launched from the kitchen table of the Chambers family in 1989, manufactures sandwiches, salads, wraps and fruit pots for leading airlines, coffee chains and caterers. Last year saw its revenues almost doubled from £22.5m to £41.6m.
The new Slough factory will enable it to increase its manufacturing capacity by about £50 million.
