The new unit on the Saxham Business Park acquired by Direct Table Foods

Direct Table Foods, a leading supplier of bacon to the supermarket sector, has expanded its presence on the Saxham Business Park, near Bury St Edmunds.

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The company, part of the Danish TiCan Group, has purchasef a 58,628 sq ft distribution unit on the park from Gladman Developments for £2.9million.

Direct Table Food, which employs around 450 people, already occupies 128,000 sq ft of space on the business park, to where it moved in 2006. It originally moved into a purpose-built 85,000 sq ft building, and added a further 43,000 sq ft in 2008.

A spokeswoman for the company said yesterday it was too soon to say what impact the latest expansion would have in terms of jobs.

Direct Table Foods was originally established by the Stanton family trading out of the famous Smithfield meat market in central London in the 1950s, and in 1972 the company began to manufacture its own meat products.

By the 1980s Direct Table was a significant bacon supplier and became one of the first manufacturers to provide pre-packed bacon to Sainsbury’s.

The company acquired Lark Valley Foods in Bury St Edmunds in 1998, and was in turn itself acquired by TiCan the following year.

In November 2004 the Bury site was destroyed by fire. A six acre site on the Saxham Business Park was identified for a new factory, which opened in April 2006.

Tony Stanton, managing director at Direct Table Foods, said: “Saxham Business Park has proved to be an immensely successful base for our expanding operations and we are extremely pleased that Gladman has been able to facilitate further expansion at the park.”

Agents Strutt & Parker and Barker Storey Matthews acted on behalf of Gladman in the sale.

The new unit developed alongside a larger, 140,000 sq ft, distribution unit which Gladman Developments sold to Wrenbridge in 2010 and is now occupied by nursery products manufacturer Dorel.

Other occupiers on the park include Norbert Dentressangle, Claas UK and TTS Tooltechnic Systems.