Wet wipe giant to create 100 jobs at new Wigan base

WET wipe giant Nice-Pak International says it will create 100 jobs with its move to a new £40m factory in Wigan.

The new 400,000 sq ft facility at Westwood Park will be the biggest building in Wigan when it is completed next year.

The US-owned group – which has its European headquarters in Flint North Wales – will initially be relocating 150 employees from a manufacturing plant at nearby Hindley Green and then taking on additional recruits.

Nice-Pak International makes  more than 650 million packs of baby, cosmetic, household and personal care wipes every year, including both branded and own-label wipes for some of Europe’s largest retailers.

Michael Staton, chief executive of Nice-Pak International, said: “The new manufacturing unit will consolidate our position as Europe’s market leader in wet wipe production. We will be investing in the very latest manufacturing technology designed to allow us to meet every aspect of best practice in the production of pre-moistened wipes.

“We are building on more than half a century of experience in the industry, and this development will further help us to increase our growing share of the market.  In line with this growth, more than 100 new jobs will be created over time at the Westwood Park manufacturing unit.”

Work to clear the site is now under way, with the first batch of products from the new manufacturing unit expected in the second quarter of 2016.

The investment  been supported by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund and Wigan Council.