Jobs boost for Barton as Wren Kitchens buys nappy plant

Wren Kitchens said it expected to fill the first 100 jobs in the next six months

Up to 500 jobs are to be created after a major kitchen company bought a former nappy-making factory in North Lincolnshire.

The Kimberly-Clark plant in Barton-upon-Humber closed in March with the loss of 378 jobs.

Wren Kitchens said it bought the 180 acre site for an undisclosed fee and would turn it into a new head office and warehouse.

MP for Brigg and Goole Andrew Percy said he was "so happy" with the deal.

A spokesperson for Wren Kitchens said 500 jobs would be created over the next five years, with the first 100 posts "expected to be filled within the next six months".

Finance director Mark Pullan said the deal was secured with the help of North Lincolnshire Council leader Liz Redfern and MPs Andrew Percy, Nic Dakin and Martin Vickers.

Mr Percy said: "Wren [is] a fantastic local company, which really wants to stay in this region.

"I'm so happy that they've signed and we've got these 500 jobs. They're not moving [posts] from their other sites to the area, these are going to be new jobs."

Mr Pullan said the company was "committed to manufacturing in the UK".

"We have recently invested £5m in our Scunthorpe plant, but the Barton site is needed to meet the demands of a growing network of Wren stores and an expanding product portfolio," he said.