Around Noon Foods is to open a UK factory to “facilitate future expansion” following strong organic growth, the company said today (14 August).

The 30,000 sq ft factory, due to open this year, will be the sixth manufacturing facility for Around Noon and is expected to create around 200 jobs.

It will produce a range of products including sandwiches, salads, wraps and fruit pots.

The investment follows “strong organic growth” for Around Noon following “a series of large contracts” in the travel, foodservice and coffee sectors, it said.

The new factory will be located on the same site as the company’s existing factory in Slough, near London, which was opened in 2017.

It follows the company’s acquisition in June of local peer The Soho Sandwich Company, which it purchased for an undisclosed sum.

Around Noon CEO Gareth Chambers said the run rate at its existing Slough site has increased from £4m ($5m) per year in 2018 to around £30m per year today. The site produces 400,000 products per week.

The new factory will increase Around Noon’s manufacturing capacity in Slough by around £50m.

“We are really pleased to have secured additional premises at Slough Trading Estate to support our ongoing growth,” Chambers added.

Around Noon, founded in Northern Ireland more than 30 years ago, makes chilled, hot, frozen and bakery products at its manufacturing sites across the UK and Ireland.

Its deal for The Soho Sandwich Company will see the creation of an enlarged food-to-go supplier with 800 employees and revenues of more than £80m ($99.8m) per year.

The Soho Sandwich Company will continue to operate under its own name within the larger group and service its existing customers across foodservice, retail, events and hospitality channels.

The Slough factory will not produce any Soho Sandwich Company products, which continue to be manufactured in north London.