Bakery giant to create hundreds of jobs in East Midlands

Greggs is set to open to major sites in the East Midlands in a move that will create hundreds of jobs.

The bakery giant has agreed a deal to lease a site at SEGRO’s Smartparc in Derby which will be used to expand its manufacturing capabilities and logistics network.

The building, which is under construction, will be ready for Greggs to install its manufacturing and logistics equipment through 2025 and 2026. The move will create 500 jobs in Derby.

In addition to the self-funded capital expenditure to install the equipment, a leased right-of-use asset of around £65m will also be recognised at the start of the lease.

Greggs is also in talks to buy land in the Corby/Kettering area, where it will develop a National Distribution Centre for chilled and ambient goods.

A statement from the company said: “This site will significantly extend our logistics capacity across the network to circa 3,500 shops and deliver efficiencies through semi-automated storage and picking solutions. We aim to exchange contracts on the purchase of the land in the coming months.”

The news comes on the back of Greggs posting 7.4% sales growth for the first 19 weeks of 2024.