£30m Telford food factory could be running by 2015

Work on the new 100,000 sq ft Faccenda factory could start as early as next week – trebling the size of the business.

Fresh chicken giant Faccenda today revealed plans for the new food processing plant, which will be built beside its existing 56,000 sq ft factory on Hortonwood Industrial Estate.

And bosses say the new facility could be up and running as early as January 2015.

The announcement follows last year's acquisition by Faccenda of turkey business Cranberry Foods, creating what the firm describes as a "major cross sector food business" with significant penetration in the UK's growing retail and food service industry.

Managing director Andy Dawkins said: "This is another major step in delivering Faccenda's growth strategy. It signals a step change in our capability to satisfy our customers requirements for innovative fresh and convenience food solutions."

Faccenda already employs 550 people at the Telford site, and expects to add to that total as work on the new facility progresses. No figure has been put on the number of new staff at present, but Faccenda says there are no plans for job losses.

The new Telford facility will present employment opportunities "both for existing Faccenda employees and for those looking for a career within the business", the company added.

Staff from its other factory in Dudley will also be offered the chance to transfer to the larger facility on Hortonwood, although there are no plans to close its Black Country facility and the exact operations of each site are still being established. In total Faccenda employs 2,000 people in the UK and turns over £300 million a year.

Operations director Phil Davidson said: "We have worked closely in partnership with the local authority during the planning stages of this project.

"We are delighted to be able to bring inward investment in manufacturing to Telford and secure a significant workforce in the region."