Vitacress is set to spend £4 million on expanding the intake operations at its St Mary Bourne salads factory in Wiltshire.
Work on the new facility will begin this autumn and finish in 2017, with the company proposing to close its current operations at nearby Amesbury in the southwestern English county.
The company’s CEO Toby Brinsmead said: “Two years ago we started an investment programme to support our ambition to be leaders in our core markets of fresh herbs and salads.In 2016 we completed a £6m investment in Chichester, West Sussex, creating the UK’s leading fresh herbs facility.
“This new investment in our St Mary Bourne factory is the next step to ensure that we remain competitive and continue to provide the best produce available in the rapidly evolving salads market.”
Vitacress has entered into consultation with its employees to accommodate the closure of its Amesbury factory and adapt to changes in working patterns and shift structures required at the St Mary Bourne site.
The company, which is part of the RAR Group, is one of Europe's leading growers and packers of watercress, leafy salads, spinach, fresh herbs and tomatoes.
It has operations in the UK, Portugal, Spain and Benelux, cultivating 633 hectares of land and 45 hectares of glasshouses.
The firm, which employs about 1,500 people, has a turnover in excess of €185m (£136m).
