WARBURTONS OFFICIALLY OPENS ITS FIRST BAKERY IN WALES

Warburtons officially opened its first bakery in Wales yesterday (25 September), marking the completion of a £10 million investment and the creation of more than 150 new jobs in Gwent.

The family baker spent more than six months refurbishing the bakery in Rogerstone and started production exactly 12 months ago. It currently bakes 150,000 loaves every day and delivers to over 1,000 outlets across South Wales and the West.

Over 150 new jobs have been created in the past year with roles ranging from bakery operatives to office administrators, engineers to van drivers.

To commemorate the official opening and the first anniversary of production starting on site, Warburtons has announced plans to donate £130 to 13 organisations in Gwent over the next 12 months through its Bakers Dozen community giving scheme. Warburtons has donated over £50,000 to charities, organisations and initiatives in Gwent that improve the quality of family life since it launched in Wales in 2001, demonstrating its strong track record of charitable giving and active involvement in supporting the local communities it serves.

Local schools have also benefited through Warburtons association with Superschools, Reading is Fundamental, Pippins Design and the donation of high-visibility jackets. Representatives from a number of local organisations and charities that have already received support from Warburtons, including Newport Gwent Dragons and Royal Gwent Hospital, attended the opening.

Company Chairman, Jonathan Warburton, said: “The official opening of our first bakery in Wales signals a major milestone in our continuing plans to drive the business forward.

“We are delighted with our strong performance to date and feel it reflects our sustained investment across the board but our job is not yet done. We will persist in our programme of building and opening state-of-the-art bakeries – this is our 13th bakery; we have invested in distribution – now supplying nationally through all the major multiples; and we are working hard to promote our culture and values to a growing workforce and reward and attract the best in the business.”

David Williams, General Manager of Warburtons South Wales bakery, said: “The opening of the bakery in Wales and a new depot in Devon to expand our distribution in the South West has helped boost our market share and increase sales. Equally important though is the fact that we make high quality bread that people come back for time and time again. Shoppers in Wales and the South West have really taken to our brand and sales in the area have grown considerably.”

Warburtons opened its South Wales depot in May 2001, initially serving the M4 corridor from Llanelli to Bristol. With the opening of the South Wales bakery and the South West depot, the distribution area has now grown considerably, going as far west as Aberystwyth and taking in the South West of England, down to Cornwall. North Wales is served by Warburtons Runcorn depot.

Warburtons is a family-owned business, established by Thomas Warburton and his wife, Ellen, from a small grocery shop in Bolton in 1876. The Company has steadily expanded over the past 131 years to become the number two best-selling grocery brand in the UK and is still actively run by the fifth generation of the Warburton family.