Bakery Production Facility
for The Bread Factory 

Overview

The Bread Factory identified a neighbouring site at their existing Milton Keynes location, previously used as an industrial facility. Willett Food Projects Ltd (WFPL) was initially engaged to conduct feasibility design meetings to assess the suitability of the site. WFPL was then appointed to lead the detailed design and tender process, and ultimately took on the role of principal contractor for the full strip-out and fit-out project. The team is carrying out regular site visits and provides the client with weekly progress updates.

Client

The Bread Factory

Project Budget

The project has an estimated budget of £2.5 million to £3.5 million and remains ongoing.

Project delivery

The objective is to refurbish the existing unit, integrating a pre-installed bread line and creating capacity to support output from other areas of the business. The upgraded facility aims to produce approximately 200,000 units of frozen baked goods and 150,000 units of ambient goods each week.

Feasibility work began in September, followed by the detailed design phase in November. Strip-out works started in March, with the fit-out phase commencing in late April to early May.

Design work began before access to the site was possible. Initial inspections had to be carried out using torches after a site break-in compromised the electrical system. The site was not fully accessible in daylight until mid-January, by which time landlord repair works had been completed – well into the detailed design phase.

During strip-out, additional issues with the existing fit-out were discovered. These challenges extended the project scope beyond the design phase, requiring detailed documentation of each new issue and the associated cost implications for corrective work.

Conclusion

The project remains in progress but is on track to complete in September, assuming no further additional works arise. The client understands the complexity introduced by the evolving site conditions. WFPL’s clear and responsive documentation of changes is helping the client stay informed and aligned throughout the project.