Premier Foods to invest £20m in Mr Kipling venture

3rd Jul 2015 09:55

UK food manufacturer Premier Foods will unveil a new £20m production line at its Mr Kipling bakery in Carlton, Barnsley on Friday.The move followed the success of Mr Kipling, after it was relaunched on 2014 with new package, advertising and promotions, and is expected to double the company's snack pack cake slices capacity.UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Elizabeth Truss will formally open the new line.Truss commented that the country's food manufacturing sector was bigger than cars and aerospace combined, adding it generated £100bn for the UK's economy."Iconic British brands like Mr Kipling are key to its success and ensuring our food businesses can thrive is central to the government's long-term plan," Truss said.Premier Foods chief executive Gavin Darby said he was very happy about Mr Kipling's future, admitting its cake business had grown "significantly" over the last nine months."The additional capacity and flexibility from this new investment will help us improve productivity and capture new growth opportunities. It's also a great vote of confidence in Barnsley and our colleagues at the Carlton bakery."The opening will be marked by the introduction of innovative robotic technology, and will help create 80 new jobs over the next two years, including a number of higher skilled roles.