Spain-based snacks business Grupo Apex has acquired a new plant in the La Rioja region of the country.

Grupo Apex said it plans to reopen a former Patatas Lahera factory, which is located in the town of Alesón. The facility was closed in 2021.

The new factory, which will manufacture crisps, is scheduled to restart production next month.

In a statement, Grupo Apex estimated the move will generate “more than 50 direct jobs”.

The company, which has ten sites in Spain, directly employs more than 550 staff. In Grupo Apex’s 2023 financial year, which ends in May, the company generated a turnover of €135m ($147.5m).

Grupo Apex’s portfolio includes brands such as Aspitos and Mikso.

In June, the group snapped up local crisp maker Santo Reino for an undisclosed sum. Santo Reino manufactures chips, salty snacks and nuts under its namesake brand.

Grupo Apex has been active on the M&A front in recent years.

In 2022, the Aspitos owner bought the Pop Up popcorn brand from Mexican bakery giant Grupo Bimbo for an undisclosed sum, two months after acquiring Spanish peer Viube Foods, a manufacturer of vegetable crisps.

In 2021, the company snapped up the potato chips and nuts business of Aperitivos Medina in Madrid, and Productos Emilio Arias Lizano, which manufactures peanuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.