Member Article

New £35 million Wakefield Haribo factory set to create 286 jobs well under way

Building work to create a brand new £35 million production facility for confectionary brand, Haribo, is continuing apace as the flagship building begins to take shape off Whitwood Common Lane in Castleford, Wakefield.

Designed by The Harris Partnership, JPG and Silcock Leedham, the new factory is set to create 286 new jobs and will produce 48,000 tonnes of confectionary a year.

The project has been made possible by a £6.4 million Regional Growth Funding grant and forms part of an investment of £92 million in Haribo’s estate, alongside its existing facility in Pontefract.

The development, which is being delivered by Wates Construction, will include a 30,700 sq m three-storey manufacturing unit and four-storey office facility, and is set to open for production in 2015.

Vertical progress is now visible from the nearby M62 motorway with construction of the first stair core now complete and the concrete framed first and second floor columns progressing on a daily basis.

Also under construction is the steel-framed energy centre and sub-station, which will power the scheme.

David Price, business unit director, Wates Construction, Yorkshire, said: “Increased manufacturing presence in Yorkshire is going to be key to the region’s economic growth and it’s a very exciting time as HARIBO’s investment and vision for its new facility begins to take shape.

“We have been working very closely with HARIBO’s domestic and international teams to ensure that the development addresses their operational needs, whilst enhancing their production capacity.”

Herwig Vennekens, managing director of HARIBO UK, added: “It’s great to finally see the new factory take shape, we are pleased with the progress to date and are excited by the opportunity that this new facility presents.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .