Three hundred jobs are set to be created at what is reported to become the country’s biggest and most efficient cold storage unit.
The new site, near Grantham, in Lincolnshire, will lead to another 230 jobs during its two year construction.
Cold storage specialist Magnavale said it has secured planning and funding to construct the single, fully automated cold store at Easton, just off the A1, which will have the capacity to store 96,000 pallets of food and fresh drinks.
The Chesterfield-based food manufacturing technology business hopes the facility will play its part in boosting the local economy during a key period of recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Magnavale is the new name of Rick Bestwick which recently rebranded after securing a substantial finance package to expand its national network.
It is rolling out the parent group name following a series of mergers and acquisitions to grow its food-focused £30 million portfolio which currently includes three sites in Chesterfield, Scunthorpe and Warrington.
The team wants to become the country’s market leader in temperature-controlled storage, which includes the new site in Lincolnshire and increasing capacity at its existing locations.
The Easton facility will be run using renewable energy, which Magnavale hopes will make it attractive to food brands which want to minimise their carbon footprint.
Chief operating officer Amanda Cogan said: “The new store in Easton will play a key role in the future of our business and the cold storage sector more generally.
“Whether it is in terms of operational efficiency or carbon efficiency, our new facility will set the standard for the next generation of cold stores.
“The food industry and the UK more generally demand more from us as a key link in the supply chain, and we intend to live up to our mission statement of offering retailers and manufacturers alike the opportunity to shorten, simplify and de-risk their supply chains, while also delivering a significant saving in their carbon footprint.”
Magnavale already operates Europe’s biggest microwave “up-tempering” facility at its Chesterfield headquarters and says it is the UK’s biggest supplier of blast freezing services.
