Member Article

Wakefield' £35 million Haribo factory hits construction milestone

Wakefield’s new £35 million production facility for confectionary brand, HARIBO, has reached a construction milestone as main contractor, Wates, completes the building’s frame on Whitwood Common Lane in Castleford.

Completion of the building is due next spring, and the scheme is expected to create 286 new jobs once open.

The new building comprises three manufacturing floors where 48,000 tonnes of sweets will be produced per year, with 30,700 cubic meters of concrete and 3,000 tonnes of steel making up the structure.

The building’s frame has taken Wates 10 months to construct, and has seen the contractor coordinate the delivery of 5,000 concrete wagons with a volume of concrete equivalent to a 40km long traffic jam.

Designed by The Harris Partnership, JPG and Silcock Leedham, the new factory has been made possible by a £6.4 million Regional Growth Funding grant and forms part of an investment of £92 million in HARIBO’s estate alongside its existing facility in Pontefract.

Dave Price, business unit director, Wates Construction, Yorkshire, commented: “The on-going boost to UK manufacturing will be an extremely valuable means to grow the economy and we are very proud to be playing a central role in ensuring that Yorkshire is at the forefront of this progress.

“Investment breeds investment and Wates’ focus now remains on bringing this facility to life on time and on budget to ensure that HARIBO’s expansion not only creates opportunities for local employment but that it becomes a catalyst for further development in the region.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .