Bakeries jobs boon for region

TWO companies from the region’s food and drink sector have been given a combined £675,000 funding to safeguard 39 jobs and create 76 new jobs.

Both United Biscuits and Peter Hunt’s Bakery have received a Grant for Business Investment from the Northwest Regional Development Agency to develop new lines of business.

Biscuits and cake manufacturer United Biscuits was awarded £425,000 to assist the company’s production at the Aintree operation.

The grant will allow United Biscuits to increase the output of its TUC crackers, creating 28 jobs; and allow the site to begin to manufacture Jaffa Cake Bars, safeguarding 39 jobs.

Andrew Hawley, manufacturing director for biscuits at United Biscuits UK, said:”As a result of securing the GBI support, our Aintree Factory can now look forward to over £2m of new investment. This will enable the repatriation of Jaffa Cakes Bars and Tuc Crackers from Northern Europe to Liverpool. These are both important UB Brand names which have their manufacturing origins in the North West of England.”

Meanwhile, Peter Hunt’s Bakery in Bolton received £250,000 to invest in new equipment to diversify into a new market – part of a strategy to supply the entire range of bakery products for in-store bake-off products to supermarkets.

The grant will help create 48 jobs and allow the company to expand into the UK’s £100m ready-to-bake continental pastries market. The company said it believes it could gain 5% of this market within three years.

David Wood, managing director of Peter Hunt’s Bakery, said: “The UK imports large quantities of the freshly-baked croissants and Danish pastries that are available in Supermarket in-store bakeries. 

“With the help of this NWDA grant we will soon be producing high-quality products for this growing UK market from a new production line in Kearsley. This will secure new jobs and provide financial security for the company and its employees by diversifying into this new product area.”