Leicester-based Cofresh Snack Foods has announced the acquisition of an additional food production and warehousing facility to cater for significant growth and expansion.

An investment of approximately £20m over the next 18 months will enable Cofresh to split its snack production between two sites and increase annual turnover to more than £100m.

The company’s current site in Menzies Road, Leicester, will continue to specialise in traditional Indian snacks while the new facility, on a seven acre site at the Attleborough Fields Industrial Estate, Nuneaton, will be dedicated to the manufacture of its Eat Real ‘healthier snacking’ brand to cater for the growing demand for free from snacks.

Cofresh is planning to extend its Nuneaton site from 140,000 to 180,000 sq ft, bringing the company’s total production and warehousing ‘footprint’ to just under 400,000 sq ft.

“We’re delighted to be taking this hugely significant step in the development of our business,” commented Cofresh managing director Priyesh Patel.

“Nuneaton’s central location is well-placed for our customer base and offers a great infrastructure and easy access from our primary location in nearby Leicester, while the site itself is perfect for our immediate needs and offers great potential for our ambitious business growth.”

Team members from Cofresh, HSBC and Haines Watts at the new Cofresh site in Nuneaton.

Nuneaton MP Marcus Jones, members of the Cofresh senior management team and financial advisers from HSBC Bank and Haines Watts visited the new factory last week to mark the acquisition of the site.

Nuneaton MP Marcus Jones said: “I’m delighted to welcome this long-standing family business to Nuneaton. Cofresh and its Eat Real brand are expanding rapidly and I very much welcome this significant investment and creation of new jobs on a site which has been vacant for some time.”