WORK has started on building a multi-million-pound, state of the art warehouse for an expanding Bradford food wholesaler which is expected to create around 50 new jobs over the next five years.

A turf cutting and blessing ceremony was held at Prologis Park on Rooley Lane where family-run P&B Foods will operate a 178,000 sq ft warehouse with offices, due to open by the end of the year.

Mohinder Singh Bhatoa, P&B Foods' managing director, said the development marked a significant milestone in the company’s history.

He said: “The move to Prologis Park, Bradford is an important step in our company’s expansion and gives us a great opportunity to grow our business, providing further opportunities for local people and enhancing the service to our customers. We expect to create 50 new jobs within five years as our expansion plans come to fruition.”

The new base – which will replace P&B Foods’ current 150,000 sq ft premises on Planetrees Road, Bowling, has been designed by local architects Waller and Partners. It will provide space for future expansion and incorporates green technologies to boost the company’s environmental credentials.

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Andy Bruce, managing director of local contractor GMI Construction, said: “We are pleased to be starting this flagship project showing how Bradford businesses are leading the way as our country’s economy continues to grow.

“This project will allow us to employ local tradespeople and local suppliers and to deliver training and apprenticeships to the region’s future workforce. As a local contractor, we pride ourselves in ensuring the communities in which we work benefit from our construction projects.”

P&B Foods Ltd, which distributes a wide range of food products across the UK and Europe, is investing around £5 million on its expansion into a purpose-built base for the £42 million turnover company.

In a deal supported by Bradford Council, P&B Foods bought a 12.72 acre site at the Prologis business park next to the M606 motorway and near the giant Marks & Spencer Northern distribution hub P&B Foods, a family-run business which began in 1967, is now the UK’s leading importer and distributor of Asian and oriental foodstuffs, supplying products such as rice, spice, lentils, flour, chutneys and pickle products from around the world.

Customers include Bradford-based Morrisons, along with Tesco and a range of other retailers, wholesalers, hotels and restaurants.

Its current base handles 200 tonnes of products a day.