Plans have been approved for sweet giant Haribo to expand its manufacturing operation in West Yorkshire.
The confectionary company says the new scheme will ensure production at the site in Castleford is “world class”.
It’s expected around 680 jobs will be secured for the construction of the new facility which will be built on 13 hectares of land next to the already existing Haribo factory on Whitwood Common Lane, beside the M62.
The new warehouse will secure the future of the 600 employees currently onsite, as well as 80 jobs across its wider network of retail outlets.
The original planning statement submitted on behalf of Haribo says: “This application will facilitate the delivery of more orders, creating more employment and ultimately cementing Haribo’s position in the district, providing skilled jobs, training opportunities and allowing Haribo to continue their innovative approach to food manufacturing.
“It also builds on the £22m investment Haribo made in the site in 2021, demonstrating their commitment to Wakefield. Haribo UK has played an important role in the local area for half a century. This application demonstrates their commitment to both Wakefield and Yorkshire as a centre of excellence for food manufacturing.”
A whopping 80% of Haribo sweets sold in the UK are produced in the Yorkshire district.
Haribo secured permission to build a factory and warehouse at the site in 2012 but the warehouse is yet to be constructed as products are stored within the factory.
The statement reads: “They are now at a stage where they need dedicated warehousing space, albeit not currently on the scale originally envisaged. This will free up capacity. This amended approach to delivering the world class Haribo manufacturing facility should be approved without delay.”
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Featured image – Haribo UK
