Completion of a 160,000 sq ft manufacturing facility for the French bakery giant Brioche Pasquier is another example of development that is enabling the Milton Keynes region to forge ahead, delivering investment and increase jobs and skills.
Local commercial developer Hampton Brook has now handed over the first phase of this scheme at Centro – on the site of the former Alps Electronics as Wymbush – to Brioche Pasquier for its internal fit-out of the production lines. The facility is projected to be operational by the end of the year.
A second phase of the development – comprising some 70,000 sq ft – is proposed within five years.
Ian Jackson, Development Director at Hampton Brook, said: “There is a real appetite from Milton Keynes Council and Invest Milton Keynes to collaborate with developers to get buildings built and attract overseas investment, as well as retaining ‘home grown’ talents. And it is therefore of no great surprise that companies want to come to the City, where there is impressive evidence of a strong economy and varied cross section of business, giving further opportunities for business development and support.”
He added: “Brioche Pasquier’s decision to open its first factory in the UK in Milton Keynes is reflective of the city’s position as the driver of the South Midlands economy. Its reputation of invention, innovation and collaboration is one which will benefit Brioche Pasquier greatly and help them achieve their continued growth plans.”
Brioche Pasquier’s roots began in 1936 at Les Cerqueux, France when Gabriel Pasquier opened a small village bakery. In 1974, the family business became ‘Brioche Pasquier Ltd’, which now employs over 3,000 people across Europe.
As part of the international development of the group, the company opened an office in Milton Keynes 10 years ago with just three staff, which has now grown to 30. In early 2014 the company began negotiations with Hampton Brook for the construction of a production site in Wymbush that will service the UK market.
Brioche Pasquier still use authentic processes and original recipes to create their range of products that are sold in most of the UK’s major food retailers. Its objective is to adapt to the British market whilst holding onto French traditions, enabling the company to be closer to its customers and distributors.
