Meals-to-your-door firm plans warehouse in town
FOOD recipe box firm Gousto is to move into Burton with a new warehouse after it raised £111 million in investment.
The cash will be partly used to fund a fifth automated technologydriven “fulfilment” centre in the town, joining similar facilities in Essex, Lincolnshire and Cheshire.
The company, whose investors include online fitness guru Joe Wicks, became a huge success during the early months of the pandemic as it enabled people to get ingredients delivered straight to their doors in a distinctive red Gousto box.
It is not yet known how many jobs the Burton warehouse will create. In 2021, Gousto announced expansion plans that will see the company create 1,000 jobs in the UK. Referring to the new investment, most of which came from the Vision2 Fund of
Japan’s Softbank, alongside loans from Britain’s HSBC and Barclays banks, CEO Timo Boldt said: “2022 is set to be another impressive year for Gousto, as we capitalise on the accelerated mega trends driving change in the grocery market: convenience, health, sustainability. I’m delighted to welcome our new shareholders on board and look forward to working with them as we embark on our next stage of growth and get closer to achieving our vision of becoming the UK’S
most loved way to eat dinner.” Gousto offers more than 60 recipes to customers via a menu that changes every week. A third of these can be customised, for example, by switching proteins.
Recipes include pork steak with bubble and squeak mash, Keralanstyle chicken curry, and smoky pulled chicken, and visitors to its website will find healthy meals approved by Joe Wicks.
Last year, amid the growth in demand for its meal kits, Gousto said it gained market share from supermarkets in 2020 as shoppers sought food to be delivered directly to their doors.
Timo Boldt told the PA news agency at the time that Covid-19 restrictions had had a positive impact on demand, and he did not expect this to reverse as restrictions eased. He said: “We had incredibly positive growth prior to the pandemic so can see that continuing even as things ease.”
The company reported that its revenues jumped by 129% to £189 million in 2020, representing around 53 million meals.