UK craft bakery Geary’s opens new plant in Leicester
Geary’s Bakery has opened a new plant in the UK city of Leicester to address “growing demand” for its sourdough products.
The £36m ($48.4m) facility, the company’s third, will double production capacity and create 380 new jobs.
The new bakery will operate in two phases, with the first phase already operational and the second set for launch in September.
In a statement, the family-run business behind Jason’s Sourdough said the expansion aligns with its “ongoing growth strategy” to scale up its branded and own-label bakery operations commercially.
Fourth generation master baker at Geary’s Bakery and Jason’s Sourdough, Jason Geary, said: “This [facility] allows our business to move to the next chapter of our growth.
“The demand for Jason’s Sourdough and real artisanal bread continues to grow, and we are constantly inspired by how much people love our bread. This new site enables us to get our products into more stores and in more homes – while staying true to the quality and craft that set us apart.”
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By GlobalDataGeary’s flagship brand, Jason’s Sourdough, is available in 4,000 stores across the UK.
The business said the brand has seen its sales more than double in value terms over the past 12 months and accounts for approximately half of the group’s turnover.
In addition to the site expansion, Geary’s is investing in its workforce, with 13 apprentices enrolled in bakery, engineering and operations programmes, and eight new lead bakers being recruited.
The company says it is the “fourth largest bread brand” in the UK and the “category leader” for sourdough.
With the new facility, the business’s total headcount will reach 950 by year-end, nearly “quadrupling” the workforce in four years.
In November 2019, Geary’s sold a majority stake in the business to food industry veterans the Unsworth family.
The company, based in Leicester in the English Midlands, is a supplier to major retailers including Aldi and M&S.
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