The boss of Cofresh, the Bombay mix and snack maker, has offered a lifeline to some of the workers affected by the closure of Leicester’s Fox’s Glacier Mint factory.
Managing director Pete Patel said some of the 200-plus members of staff facing redundancy could fit the bill for a new £20 million Cofresh factory opening in the spring.
Big Bear Confectionery, the company behind the Glacier Mint as well as XXX Mints, Paynes Poppets and Just Brazils, is shutting its factory on the outskirts of Leicester later this year, for a combined 海角视频 head office in Pontefract and Blackpool.
Workers at the site on the city’s Braunstone Frith Industrial Estate were told at the start of the year that parent company Valeo Foods Group was merging Big Bear with its Tangerine Confectionery business and setting up a new 海角视频 confectionery division.
Cofresh, which is also based in Leicester, is building a new factory and warehouse in Nuneaton, where it will move and expand production of its healthier snack ranges, including its Eat Real brand.
The existing factory in Menzies Road, off Abbey Lane, Leicester, will continue to make snacks such as Bombay and balti mixes, chilli and lemon grills, poppadum curls, and chilli and lemon corn nuts.
Mr Patel said it was likely that many of the workers at the Fox’s factory would have skills that could transfer to the new factory, a 40 minute drive away.
It will have around 50 staff which will grow to around 100 when production is in full swing.
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The Leicester Cofresh operation has around 220-230.
He said: “We will need different technical teams and operations teams in Nuneaton, as well as people in the supply chain.
“It will be much bigger than our Leicester operation and by the time we’ve finished an extension in 2020 it will be about 180,000 sq ft,
“In the food industry Fox’s are good with supply chain, technical and operations and on the shop floor so we would be interested in talking to people working there.
“It’s still a bit early for us to be taking on staff, but we will be looking to fill jobs in March so if any Fox’s workers are interested I would ask them to get in touch with our HR team.”
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Mr Patel said Cofresh was expecting to turn over £46 million this calendar year compared to £35 million last year, and said there had been a good increase in profits.
He said the business planned to reach a turnover of £100 million in the next three-to-four years.
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He said the £20 million being spent on the new factory was split between buying, refurbishing and extending the site, and new machinery.
He said: “The Nuneaton site is going to focus on our Eat Free brand and healthy and free-from ranges.
“We are growing so fast that we need the extra capacity.
“The free-from brands now account for about a third of the business. That’s mostly Eat Real, but we have also started doing private label work for a major retailer which is ramping up really well.”