Sports nutrition manufacturer KBF Enterprises is splashing £1.5m on expanding its production capabilities.
KBF Enterprises will still operate from its current base in Trafford Park, Manchester, but has now taken over an additional 22,000 sq ft “around 200 ft” away from its original facility.
The new units would allow it to separate fulfilment and manufacturing and help it boost its production capabilities by 840%, it said.
This would allow it to produce 150,000 snack bars per day, or 54 million per year.
“Our aim is to achieve a turnover of £30m in 2022 whilst being both EBITDA and net profitable,” it said.
The business also plans to boost its overall headcount by 33%, recruiting 20 new staff to work in operations, the “vast majority” of which will be in factory labour, it said.
In wholesale distribution, it will also hire a national account manager to work with its supermarket and discounter customers, and a core account manager to liaise with gyms and sports nutrition shops.
It is also recruiting for several roles in ecommerce: a conversion optimisation specialist, a Microsoft Dynamics developer and a customer retention manager.
The business is planning a US launch next year across wholesale and retail for its Warrior and Bodybuilding Warehouse protein brands.
“We aim to be the first British sports nutrition brand to truly create a successful and profitable presence there,” it said.
KBF will also begin working on robotised packaging, which is planned to go live by the end of 2022.
This would help to streamline production, “providing an even better and faster service for retail customers and consumers”, it said.
When approached by The Grocer, KBF said it didn’t “expect” this shift would result in redundancies. Instead, it would endeavour to “retain and reallocate great people”.
“We are so excited for 2022 and can already see it is going to be an outstanding year for KBF Enterprises and all of our brands,” said founder Kieran Fisher.
Fisher added: “We cannot wait to see what else next year has in store for us.”
It comes at a lucrative time for the sports nutrition category, which surged 39.1% this year, taking its overall value to £1.1bn [Kantar 52 w/e 11 July 2021].
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