Signature Flatbread's Continues To Invest Despite Brexit Uncertainty
Signature Flatbreads has sent a message of stability amidst the uncertainty of Brexit by pledging significant financial investment, with the company: committing to improve staff wages by moving to the Real Living Wage; increasing production with the implementation of two new lines; and creating new jobs.
Signature Flatbreads will be voluntarily raising the wage rate of its factory workers from the National Living Wage of £8.21 per hour set by the government to the Real Living Wage of £9 per hour. The significant investment made by the company demonstrates a desire to offer more certainty and stability to staff at a time when it is needed most.
The UK’s leading flatbread producer will also create approximately 50 new UK jobs due to an expansion in capacity at the Dunstable site, following the introduction of two new production lines.
Signature Flatbreads supplies flatbreads such as tortilla wraps, pitta and naan bread to the UK’s major retailers and foodservice operators as well as to 30 countries around the world. The company is passionate about its business and the people who work within it, and from 6th April 2019 the Real Living Wage of £9 per hour will be implemented to all permanently employed staff working in its Dunstable factory.
The company also aspires to implement the Real Living Wage to all agency staff and is set to apply for membership of ‘The Living Wage Foundation’ to demonstrate its ongoing commitment to pay a fair hourly rate to its staff. Sixty-five per cent of staff at the Dunstable site are non-British EU citizens, and many have been left unsettled by the Government’s lengthy ongoing Brexit negotiations. There are over 4,700 Living Wage Employers in the UK, including more than 1/3 of the FTSE 100 and household names including Ikea, Aviva, Nationwide.
Following a highly successful year in 2018, Signature Flatbreads has created 50 new jobs in 2019 as it has added two new production lines to its Dunstable factory which are a result of new business landed by the company. The recent launch of new Deli Kitchen products from their branded offering demonstrates the strength and stability of the business during turbulent times in the UK market. Exports to non-EU countries is also an area that is growing in significance to the manufacturer.
Zizou Benchaoui, Joint Managing Director of Signature Flatbreads said: “Our business is only as good as the people who work within it, and we are fortunate to have a dedicated and loyal workforce. Manufacturing top quality products is essential to our success so we believe this significant and ongoing investment is a clear signal to the industry of our confidence as a business, as well as to our staff recognising their importance. We want to reassure our employees that we will be providing security during this uncertain time.
“The addition of our two new lines will enable us to keep up with the growing global demand for our flatbreads, whilst also offering employment opportunities to a considerable number of new workers.”
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