Sales for the manufacturer started strong at the beginning of the year and continued to be throughout the pandemic, fueled by an increase in demand for flatbreads during the lockdown.
Signature’s Deli Kitchen brand also saw rapid growth during this period as consumers looked for meal alternatives to prepare at home. The manufacturer has supported this growth by installing a new product line in June, with a second commissioned for this month.
High-tech production
Commenting on the investment into jobs and production, joint managing director David Laurence said: “Staff and efficient high-tech production are both essential to our success and will allow us to keep inspiring consumers with high quality, innovative breads.
“The company has already benefitted from sales growth as people increasingly demand more interesting breads at mealtimes, which our products deliver. Lockdown has seen this trend continue and products such as our Greek Style Flatbreads are performing well, which we believe is partly due to an increased desire to make home eating more varied, as well as of course it being more frequent.”
Own-label and branded production
Signature Flatbreads supplies own-label flatbreads – such as naans and tortilla wraps – to all the major UK retailers and foodservice operators. The company also owns the Planet Deli brand of long-life bakery products, and Deli Kitchen brand of flatbreads available from multiple retailers.
Last year the manufacturer more than doubled operating profit to £6.8m in the 12 months to 31 July 2018, despite a slight fall in turnover for the year. Sales in the UK remained strong for the company (£99.6m), while sales to the rest of the world saw significant growth – up 27.6% to £5.7m.
Meanwhile, cereal processor Glebe Farm has made a multi-million-pound investment in plant-based ‘milk’ production, creating new jobs.
