An operator to run the new food and drink innovation centre currently being built in Weston-super-Mare has been appointed by North Somerset Council.
At its meeting yesterday (Tuesday 19 March) the council’s Executive awarded a 15-year contract to operate The Food WorksSW to Nottingham-based The Food and Drink Forum Ltd.
The contract will start on 1 May. This will give The Food and Drink Forum the opportunity to influence the fit-out of the centre, sign up occupiers and take bookings for the centre in readiness for when it opens in spring next year.
Work on the £11.8m centre in the heart of the Junction 21 Enterprise Area started at the end of last year and is progressing well. Funded by the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership through the Local Growth Fund, The Food WorksSW will be the only centre of its kind in the South West.
It will provide a range of specialist facilities, technical and business support for food and drink manufacturers across the South West region, helping new businesses to get started and established producers to innovate and grow. It will include:
- 12 food grade business units to lease
- four product development areas
- exhibition, training and workshop space
- meeting rooms and a café.
The centre will create around 250 new jobs and will play a vital role in the council’s bid to drive forward growth in the North Somerset economy.
The Food and Drink Forum has over 14 years of direct hands-on experience of food grade premises and facilities management. It currently operates two successful food parks in the East Midlands – Southglade Food Park in Nottingham which opened in 2005 and Leicester Food Park which opened in 2014 – and an extensive business support programme.
“The Food WorksSW will undoubtedly benefit from a commercial operator with experience and a track record of operating business centres,” said Cllr Elfan Ap Rees, the council’s deputy leader and executive member for economic development.
“Under the agreement, The Food and Drink Forum will manage all aspects of The Food WorksSW on our behalf. All their expenditure and costs will be covered by charges and rents from users of the centre with any profits put back into the centre to increase and improve the range of facilities and support for businesses.”
