ESR ices Mr Whippy deal
The heritage food brand has chosen Woodhouse Link, south-east Sheffield to house a £15m manufacturing facility as it looks to launch a new sweet treat to the market in 2026.
Mr Whippy is building up to the introduction of doughnuts into its portfolio, and expects to produce more than 104m of them annually in the Steel City.
The product will be made, and distributed, from a 23,355 sq ft unit on Innovation Way after company director Michael Corrado Jackson agreed a new lease for the site, located just off Junction 31 of the M1.
The unit, currently being fitted out for specialist food production, has been marketed by Knight Frank and CPP on behalf of investment manager ESR, and will create more than 50 new jobs on the established industrial estate.
Corrado Jackson said: “This major investment is a crucial next step for the brand and its product expansion, and this site perfectly fitted our needs both on location, and for operational purposes being a modern, detached unit.
“We will be able to satisfy the requirements for specialist food production, automation processes, and then easy distribution of the product.
“The unit will be the manufacturing hub for the doughnut production, which will be fully launched next year and available from retailers.”
Knight Frank partner Rebecca Schofield said: “This is a fantastic example of inward investment in the region to produce a brand-new facility and associated jobs in Sheffield, as part of an ambitious business expansion.
“The modern unit leant itself to becoming a state of the art food production facility and the location for distribution of the product is unparalleled.”
Woodhouse Link is already home to occupiers N Vent and BLE Smoke and Fire Curtains. Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Park is also located close by.
