The East Kilbride-based food manufacturer, which supplies cakes and own-label products to supermarkets and coffee shop chains, said the cash had also enabled it to invest in additional equipment.
The new machinery would help it keep pace with customer demand and launch a new branded product range, according to the bakery.
Md Kevin Moore bought Johnstone’s in 2006 and had since quadrupled the company’s sales turnover after relocating it to larger premises at Peel Park Campus and devising a new business strategy, UKSE claimed.
Grow exports
The bakery has established a strong cake business overseas, primarily in Australia and Germany, and Moore said he wanted to grow export sales even further this year.
“UKSE’s confidence in us has given our whole team a huge boost and their service could only be described as excellent,” he said.
“The investment from UKSE has been fundamental to our expansion drive and we are now able to take our company to the next level with the development of many new products in the pipeline for the current year.
“We can now look forward to delivering the Johnstone’s brand on a wider scale across the UK and internationally.”
Boosting the economy
UKSE’s remit is to help companies across various industries in former steel-producing areas, boosting the economy in the wake of the decline of the steel industry there and creating jobs.
“Kevin has taken Johnstone’s Bakers to new heights and UKSE saw this as an exciting investment opportunity,” said Scott Webb, UKSE regional executive.
“We can see the huge potential in this company and with such a strong presence in the retail sector already, we can’t wait to see where their range of Johnstone’s branded products takes them.”