Bread giant Warburtons has officially opened its new £20m sandwich alternatives plant in Burnley. 

It has the capacity to bake up to 34,000 wraps and thins products per hour and has been commissioned in response to increasing demand for innovative bakery products.

Warburtons was the first to bring Sandwich Thins to the market in 2011 and also runs wraps and thins plants in Bristol and Bolton, producing nine million individual products each week. The Burnley plant is large enough to house another plant but it has not yet been decided what it will be utilised for.

Brett Warburton, executive director at Warburtons, said: “We are truly proud to officially open our new Wraps and Thins plant at Burnley. Over the past decade, we have invested over £400 million in building new bakeries, refurbishing others and upgrading our distribution networks, and today’s opening clearly demonstrates our commitment to lead the way in innovation in the bakery category in order to meet changing consumer demand.

“As a family business, we are able to take decisions for the long term and this investment in Burnley reflects our commitment to the site, while also demonstrating our continued ambition for future growth.”

Warburtons operates 12 bakeries and 14 depots across the country and employs 4,500 people, producing more than two million products every day.

It was recently named the UK’s most-chosen FMCG brand by Kantar Worldpanel.