Newry's Around Noon to open major factory in London, creating 200 jobs to facilitate strong organic growth

Northern Ireland’s Around Noon is set to open a major new factory at Slough Trading Estate near London and will create up to 200 new jobs as part of an investment plan announced.

The company, which recently acquired the north London-based Soho Sandwich Company, has also enjoyed strong organic growth in recent times, including securing a series of large contracts in the travel, foodservice and coffee sectors.

As a result of this organic growth and to facilitate future expansion, the company has acquired a new circa 30,000 sq ft factory at Slough Trading Estate, which will become the group’s sixth manufacturing facility.

Alongside the increase in factory capacity, the company will also bring its total headcount across the group to more than 1,000 with the 200 new jobs being created. 300 of the 1,000 people will be based in Slough.

Gareth Chambers, CEO of Around Noon, said: “We have grown our run rate at Around Noon in Slough from £4million per annum in 2018 to around £30m per annum today. We now manufacture over 400,000 products per week at the existing Slough factory and we are really pleased to have secured additional premises at Slough Trading Estate to support our ongoing growth.”

Slough Trading Estate is home to a wide range of different-sized companies across multiple sectors, including Mars, Ferrari, DHL, Lanes Group and UCB. James Craddock, managing director, Thames Valley, at SEGRO, the owner, manager and developer of modern warehouses and industrial property, added: “This is a wonderful example of how the quality and management of our workspace combined with our flexibility and understanding of our customers’ property needs has enabled us to retain and grow our diverse customer base on the Slough Trading Estate.

“Around Noon is a strong, growing business and we’re very pleased to have been able to accommodate them in this upgraded facility and enable their business growth, particularly at a time when the vacancy rate at Slough Trading Estate remains very low at 2.7%.”

The new facility is undergoing a major renovation in line with the developer’s ‘Responsible SEGRO’ commitment to champion low-carbon growth.

Sustainability features include an EPC rating of A+; photovoltaic panels installed on the roof providing electricity to the premises with any excess back into the network grid; new energy efficient LED light fittings throughout; a heating and comfort colling system; mechanical ventilation and water reducing products in the WCs; shower facilities to encourage more employees to cycle to work; and electric vehicle charging points. The unit also has SMART meters installed throughout to help the customer improve operational efficiency and enhance the working environment.

Around Noon manufactures items such as sandwiches, salads, wraps and fruit pots for leading airlines, coffee chains and caterers. This new factory will allow the company to increase its manufacturing capacity in Slough alone by circa £50m.

Around Noon Group was founded in Newry, over 30 years ago and is today one of the leading FTG manufacturers in the UK. It produces an extensive range of chilled, hot, frozen and bakery products from five manufacturing sites across the UK and Ireland. It has facilities in Newry, Slough and North London and employs over 800 people.