Village Bakery began the recruitment drive after a period of significant growth, the Wrexham-based baker said. The new jobs would be spread across its three sites, while the apprentices will be trained at its Baking Academy and Innovation Centre, which was opened in 2015.
Village Bakery operations director Simon Thorpe said: “We’re very fortunate to be going through another period of significant growth at the moment, and with that comes the opportunity for people to gain employment with us as well. As part of the recruitment campaign, we’re looking to take on another 12 bakery apprentices.
‘From strength-to-strength’
“Our grow-your-own approach is something we’ve built our business on strongly over many years, and most recently we’ve invested in the new Baking Academy and Innovation Centre. We're going from strength-to-strength.”
The new jobs would take Village Bakery’s staff to 500, it said.
The baker supplies retail customers and supermarkets across Wales and the rest of the UK, including Tesco, Spar, Asda, the Co-op and McColls. It also exports to Hong Kong and Singapore (see video below).
It makes bread, rolls, pies, pancakes and pikelets. It also has an on-the-go range, which includes sausage rolls, steak pies and slices.
Invested £4.5M
Village Bakery was established in 1934. Its second site was built in 1991, in Minerva, Wrexham, while its first retail shop opened two years later. In 2010, it invested £4.5M to build a new factory.
Meanwhile, in 2015, Village Bakery was shortlisted for Bakery manufacturing company of the year, at the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards. This year’s awards will take place on November 1, at the Hilton, Park Lane in London. This year’s awards are now open for entries.
Village Bakery jobs – at a glance
- 50 jobs created
- Including 12 apprenticeships
- Recruitment drive followed “period of significant growth”