HelloFresh has announced plans to create 450 jobs at a new base in Derby.
The food kit delivery giant is opening a distribution hub this spring on the new £300 million SmartParc food campus in Spondon.
It will be the first tenant on the low carbon food manufacturing and distribution campus going up on the former British Celanese site which will eventually provide work for around 5,000 people.
HelloFresh now supplies its fresh meal kits with easy to follow recipes to homes all over the world. The new site, called The Orchard, will have jobs available ranging from operation and distribution work through to management.
The German business recently said it plans to more than double annual investment in capacity, infrastructure and product development to between €450 million and €550 million (£375 million to £460 million) this year to help it reach a mid-term goal of €10 billion (£8.3 billion) in revenues.
Laurent Guillemain, its UK chief executive, said the location and surrounding area played a big part in attracting it to Derby.
He said: “We are very excited about it, it should bring strong collaboration in terms of sustainability.
“Location is incredibly important for production facilities and distribution facilities. There are going to be hundreds of thousands of boxes coming out of here every year.
“We've chosen somewhere which is close to the midlands and close to our courier operations.
“We are really excited to be opening this new distribution centre in Derby and getting to know the local community.
“Hundreds of operation, distribution, and management jobs will be made available, and our plan is to further grow our Derby presence, offering even more local jobs in the future.
“It’s also fantastic to be one of the first major brands to join SmartParc. The campus sets a precedent for the best in sustainable design and collaboration.
“Their ethos of bringing people and businesses together to meet the challenges of sustainable food production, while providing opportunities for the local area, align perfectly with our own values and we’re excited to join this community.
“We look forward to working with the people of Derby, and encourage them to join us – particularly, if they are interested in changing the way that people eat, forever.”
Derby City Council leader Coun Chris Poulter said it was "very exciting” news for the city.
He said: "HelloFresh is a huge name, and choosing our city as their new home is testament to our strong reputation for innovation and manufacturing – Derby has a lot to offer!
“The council has been working with the team at SmartParc for some time now, and it’s really exciting to see those efforts come to fruition.
"Welcoming HelloFresh will bring good quality, sustainable jobs to the city, which ultimately means income and opportunity for our people and their families.
"I look forward to welcoming HelloFresh to Derby."
Paul Simpson, chief executive of Derby City Council said: "I’m delighted we’ve been able to support this move through our work with SmartParc.
"The council has already allocated £5.5 million towards the project and was successful in securing £12 million of D2N2 funding, to help with the reclamation of a major brownfield site in the city.
“HelloFresh is just the kind of organisation we want to attract to Derby, with sustainability and social value at the heart of their ethos, which is brilliant to see.
"Not only are these attributes a key strand of our council plan, it’s something that we should all strive towards as businesses and individuals, to ensure a more sustainable future.”
SmartParc founder and chief executive Jackie Wild said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome HelloFresh as our first anchor client in this ground-breaking new SmartParc development.
"They share our ambition to see food businesses operate in a more sustainable way, and also to build close links with the Derby community.
"We look forward to developing our partnership with them over the next few years, and to delivering all the commercial, operational and environmental benefits that SmartParc is uniquely able to provide.”
