Food distributor aiming to create 400 county jobs

A FAMILY-OWNED food distribution business is planning to create up to 400 jobs packing ready meals and recipe boxes in north west Leicestershire.

Oakland International has invested £4 million fitting out a 225,000 sq ft unit in Bardon.

The site has just opened and plans to take on 120 workers by the end of September, with a further 60 to 80 by the end of the year and more coming on board over the following months.

The site will be used to pack and distribute meal delivery kits as well as dairy products and cooked meats.

Chief executive Dean Attwell launched the business in 1998 with his wife Sallie, and over the years they have worked with schools and charities to help combat food poverty and supported food banks.

Mr Attwell: “We were standing at about 500 to 550 staff and we have already taken on 90 to 100 for Bardon – which should be 120 by the end of September – where there will be capacity for 350 to 400.

“I think it could get to that level quite quickly, considering the direction we are moving in.

“One area that has grown for us is direct-to-consumer supplies, working with a lot of brands doing home deliveries of chilled, frozen and ambient parcels.

“We are really keen to hire people looking for new opportunities in the food industry and operate seven days a week, round the clock.

“A lot of the shifts suit people well and it’s sometimes the case that single parents might want to do just 16 or 24 hours a week, and we offer those sorts of shifts as part of our corporate social responsibility.

“It’s sad that companies are failing out there, but we plan to be quite busy and the jobs we are offering are well paid and the work culture is good, which is important to a lot of people.”

The £40 million turnover business is based in Redditch in the

West Midlands, with depots in Corby and Dublin and an office in Worksop, and employs about 600.

It mostly deals with perishables such as yoghurts and cheeses, ready meals, supplying most of the major retailers and the rapidly growing recipe box market.

Mr Attwell said: “We are new to the area and wherever we operate we try to give something back to the community so there will be a food bank on-site and we will be getting involved with schools to help combat poverty.”

He said they had basically built a refrigerated building-within-abuilding at the Bardon warehouse, which they had taken on a minimum 15-year lease from Logicor, and said they had been supported in the move by North West Leicestershire District Council.

The business hopes to install solar panels to make the warehouse carbon neutral.

Jobs are being advertised on the Oakland International website.