UK Twinkie supplier moves to larger site

American confectionery wholesaler Innovative Bites is to move to a new purpose-built premises in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, to bring together the US and UK sides of its business.

The 9,569m2 ­­site is 2.5 times larger than Innovative’s previous premises in Southall, London, and boasts 10 loading bays.

A new recruitment drive was also announced as the next part of Innovative’s business development, with positions opening in warehouse roles, admin and sales.

The move followed the acquisition of British sweets business Bonds of London in April this year. Innovative expected its combined turnover with Bonds would be more than £50M for 2016.

The new location will bring Innovative Bites and Bonds of London closer geographically, while the larger site will help to improve economies of scale as the business looks to streamline itself.

Move was strategic

Innovative Bites director Vishal Madhu said the move was strategic and had been on the cards for some time.

We have seen an increasing demand for American confectionery here in the UK, which has meant we simply outgrew our previous site,” said Madhu.

“The move will allow us to streamline our operation and operate more efficiently in a larger purpose-built warehouse.

“The additional space and facilities will also allow us to improve our offering to our customers, not only of American lines but also British lines from our business, Bonds of London.”

Innovative Bites imports and distributes American foods to the UK, including drinks, sweets, cereals and groceries.

The firm also imports the snack cake Twinkies, whose maker Hostess Brands was sold to the private equity firm The Gores Group for £555M in July this year.