EXCLUSIVE – Ambitious plans for a unique £65m food production hub that would shorten food supply chains and create up to 2,500 jobs have been put into action by Oakland International
The food park would comprise around 100,000sqm of production facilities designed exclusively for food businesses, as well as facilities for R&D, educational links, distribution and packing.
Oakland International, which specialises in packing and storage of chilled and frozen food and supplies many of the UK’s major brands and retailers, is due to submit a planning application for the project on its 100-acre site in Redditch this summer.
It is hoped that the first factory at the food park will open in mid-2014, with the units mostly full by the end of 2016.
Oakland International managing director Dean Attwell said the company already had interest from a number of food producers in taking space on the park and that talks were underway with a development partner to help finance the project.
“It will be the first food park of its type in Europe because it will have the supply chain solution at its heart,” Attwell said.
“Retailers are looking to shorten their supply chains – just look at the recent horse meat scandal – and locating a number of parts of the supply chain in a single site will help deliver that aim.”
He said that the site would be built to conform with BRC food standards, while environment credentials – including photovoltaic panels, electric vehicles and renewable energy production – would be key elements of the project.
Attwell said the food park would be suitable both for smaller businesses looking to get themselves set up for retail and for bigger players setting up factories. Links with education, from primary up to university level, would also be crucial.
The plans are the key project in a 10-year plan to take Oakland from its current size, with turnover of around £25m and headcount of around 210 staff across three divisions, to a £70m-turnover business with more than 1,000 staff.
To support the plan, Oakland has recently expanded its board with three internal promotions to director level. Lynsey McIntosh has been appointed customer support director from her previous role as operations manager, former general manager Ed Ross has become operations director designate, while IT manager Clive Harrison has been promoted to IT director.
