LDH (La Doria) is expanding its operation in Suffolk with a new, state-of-the-art logistics facility, part-funded through £500,000 from the Growing Business Fund.
The international company, a major supplier of Retailer Own Brand grocery products, is building a new distribution operation at Sproughton Enterprise Park near Ipswich. The £40 million development will be the highest specification of its sort in the UK, including new technologies and workflow systems to enhance delivery times and productivity. The site will employ more than 100 people, with around 30 new jobs created.
In April, Babergh District Council’s planning committee approved plans for the development on the former sugar beet factory site, which was purchased by neighbouring Ipswich Borough Council in 2014.
The Growing Business Fund offers grants of £25,000 to £500,000 for businesses which want to grow and create new jobs. More than 370 businesses in Norfolk and Suffolk, from SMEs to large established firms have used the Fund to grow their business and the economy of the East. To date, more than £20m has been awarded through the fund, helping create more than 2,400 jobs and secure £160m in private investment.
Sproughton Enterprise Park is one of 10 sites which form New Anglia LEP’s Space to Innovate Enterprise Zone. The sites across Norfolk and Suffolk all offer discounted business rates, simplified planning and access to superfast broadband to new and expanding businesses. The LEP aims to create 18,500 jobs in the 25-year lifetime of the zone, including 5,000 by 2021.
Paul Nicholas – Logistics Director at LDH (La Doria), commented: “The choice of Sproughton as a site to locate our new operating facility was a lengthy process and in selecting Sproughton Enterprise Park we are confident it will future proof our Supply Chain offering.
“We are delighted to have been awarded a Growing Business Fund grant. This grant is in recognition of the impact this project will have on the regeneration of the Sproughton Enterprise Park.”
Doug Field, Chair of New Anglia LEP, said: “This is a huge investment and a real vote of confidence in the Sproughton Enterprise Park, Suffolk and the East. It’s also bringing growth, infrastructure and jobs to a key place and key industrial sector for the Norfolk and Suffolk Economic Strategy. LDH has recognised the advantages this site has to offer and many more firms are sure to follow.”
David Ellesmere, Ipswich Borough Council Leader, said: “We are making real progress in creating business opportunities and jobs here on the edge of Ipswich. This site benefits from a great location close to the A14/12 corridor and from its Enterprise Zone status. We look forward to welcoming more companies in the future in order to bring greater prosperity to the Ipswich area.”
Cllr Simon Barrett, Babergh District Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy, said: “Sproughton offered an ideal opportunity to develop a brownfield site for the good of the local economy, and this investment is the first to bear fruit. It is excellent news that LDH (La Doria) is expanding their operations in our district, and after a lot of close work between Babergh and Ipswich Borough Council on this site the investment is an example of both what can be achieved when a site is designated an Enterprise Zone, and of what can be achieved through cooperation.”
