Boparan pumps £30m into new factory for 2 Sisters

The site, set to open in the spring, will create around 100 jobs in the short-term and potentially a further 200 as it expands, said a spokesman.

"To put it into context we have four primary processing sites where we slaughter birds and cut them up and four sites in the West Midlands that take meat from these sites and further process it. ​

"On top of that we have a site in Haughley Park, Stowmarket, where we do breaded and battered chicken products for retail and a prepared foods plant in Sunderland that makes sandwich fillings and all kinds of other products."​

When Thetford opened, coated products currently made at Haughley Park would switch to the new site, he said. "Operating this new facility will give us the opportunity to expand in coated products but also to look at a whole range of other new products.​

"If you look at 2 Sisters, we started off with a focus on primary processing and we have gradually increased our prepared food offering. Our ambition over the next five years is to really grow this part of the business." ​

First major site of this scale in 10 years​

2 Sisters md Eddie Power added: “We believe we are the first food business to open a new coated protein factory of this scale in the UK for almost 10 years. This will enable us to offer customers an exciting new range of healthy and nutritious coated food products, alongside our existing bestselling lines.”​

The site would set the standard in eco-friendly design, he added. "Thetford will be highly automated with technological and environmental advances that will set the standard in sustainable design and environmental performance.”​

Poultry empire​

2 Sisters Food Group has been transformed from a regional retail cutting outfit to a poultry empire with 17 sites and sales approaching £1bn in just 18 years. The business is owned by entrepreneur Ranjit Boparan, who recently launched a £342m bid to expand his poultry empire through the acquisition of Northern Foods.

BH Acquisitions – the vehicle by which Boparan is seeking to acquire control of Northern Foods – sent out an official offer document to Northern Foods' shareholders last week, with a deadline for receipt of replies set at 1pm on March 2.

BH Acquisitions' 73p-a-share cash offer has the recommendation of Northern’s board, although some observers still believe Greencore - which had proposed a merger with Northern Foods late last year - could still come back with a better offer.