Food ingredients company doubles factory space in £6m investment
A Wirral food ingredients supplier is doubling the size of its operation after buying new premises.
JPL Flavours has acquired a vacant 41,108 sq ft unit on Bassendale Road, Bromborough, for £3.5m and has started a £2.5m fit-out.
The deal was brokered by Knight Frank, Manchester.
JPL managing director, Jake Lavelle, said: “The new site is perfect, literally around the corner from where we first started 10 years ago.
“It was initially put out for lease only but, given the significant investment in fit-out, we needed to buy. Rob Tilley at Knight Frank worked proactively with his client to ensure we both achieved a good end result.”
He added: “This new facility will be double the size of our current site in Neston and house a Customer Innovations Suite, cutting edge virtual reality and alternate reality suites which will substantially increase Research & Development capabilities.”
The new base is expected to be operational by the end of 2024 and will see the workforce grow to 40.
Rob Tilley, industrial partner at Knight Frank, said: “Our client vacated the unit earlier in 2023 and agreed to a sale which will allow this strong local company to expand and progress.
“Bromborough remains one of the prime commercial areas on The Wirral Peninsula which can service Birkenhead, Chester and Liverpool with excellent transport links from junctions four and five of the M53 motorway.
“The commercial success of the area has attracted international occupiers including Vauxhall Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Nestle, Regatta and Essar Energy, but with a limited supply of good quality available space we were able to agree a deal quickly to the satisfaction of all parties.”
Jake added: “The total investment in this expansion stands at £6m, illustrating our dedication to providing the highest quality flavours to our clients and partners and will play a pivotal role to enable us to honour our commitment to providing industry-best lead times for both sample delivery and manufacturing.
“We anticipate the premises will be available for customer visits late 2024.”