Crisps brand Burts Snacks is set to create 20 jobs in Plymouth as it seeks to capitalise on “surging growth”.
The firm is looking to recruit more planners, warehouse and production staff at its factory in the Devon port city, as it prepares for a rebrand and new product launch.
Burts, which as of last year employed around more than 360 people at its sites in Plymouth and Leicester, said it has grown 300% in the previous five years.
In its most recently published set of full-year results, the company reported sales had jumped to £57.3m, up from £51m in 2019.
This led to an EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), a measure of profitability, of £2.6m for 2020 - up from £1m in 2019.
Some key supermarket contracts helped the firm maintain this growth during the coronavirus pandemic, when its sales to the hospitality sector took a hit with the closure of venues during the national lockdowns.
Established in 1997 and formerly known as Burts Potato Snacks, the company changed its name to Burts Snacks in 2019, after it acquired popcorn manufacturer Savoury & Sweet the previous year.
The company’s bosses said at the time the firm had ambitions to drive sales to more than £100m within the next five years.
Burts described the upcoming months as “pivotal” for the brand, adding it was now time to build its team.
Chief executive Dave McNulty said: “We are very fortunate to be experiencing a period of rapid expansion, which everyone in the business is delighted about. This has been a huge year for Burts so far with our new packaging and innovation, and I can’t wait to see where we can take the company next.
“We are just scratching the surface in terms of innovation with the tremendous manufacturing capabilities we have. This is just the start of our innovation journey, we want Burts to be a brand that can grow and grow.”
Amongst the new products set to launch will be a limited-edition Prawn Cocktail flavour, featuring packaging co-designed with charity partner the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
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