Massive jobs boost for Spalding

A home-delivery recipe box company is cooking up great news for South Holland's economy by creating 400 new jobs in Spalding.

Gousto, which has sites in Spalding's Marsh Lane and in London, will take on an extra 700 employees over the next three years.

The step more than doubles the company's current staff in Spalding.

News of Gousto's expansion helps soften the blow of two major food industry losses after Bakkavor Freshcook, in Holbeach St Marks, closed in April and the Addo Food Group announced in July that it will close its Spalding Bakery site next year.

Gousto's founder and CEO Timo Boldt says his company is proud buck the trend in times of economic uncertainty.

Hundreds of the new jobs will be created in Gousto's technology team, and they will be highly skilled posts in data science, analytics, software engineering and user experience.

Spalding Jobcentre employer adviser Laura Slayven said: “We are delighted to hear of Gousto’s plans to expand their business by creating 700 jobs, 400 of which will be based at the firm’s Spalding site.

“The company has clearly gone from strength to strength in a short space of time, already employing 300 people from the locality.

"Importantly the new vacancies will be attractive to individuals with skills ranging from data science and analytics to software engineering, marketing and product.

“Food production is a massive industry within our area and the development of the Gousto site and Holbeach Food Enterprise Zone is a real positive for South Holland.

“We believe the zone will naturally attract more businesses and with it more jobs for local people. My team at the local job centre look forward to supporting the company with their recruitment needs as they move forward with this development.”

Gousto was founded in 2012 with just four people and its Spalding site opened in 2015.

Currently there are 300 people based at Gousto in Spalding - and roles include customer care, logistics, operations, food safety and many more.

Coun Nick Worth, the district council's portfolio holder for commercialisation and growth, also welcomed Gousto's expansion.

He said: “The creation of 400 new jobs in Spalding by entrepreneurial recipe box company Gousto, at a time of great uncertainty, is wonderful news for Spalding and South Holland and it is great to see a Spalding based company leading the way in innovation and technology.

"I have always aspired to to move away from our old reputation for low skill jobs to higher skilled jobs and this certainly fits the bill and provides an excellent opportunity for our younger people in particular.

"It also links perfectly to the ambitions of the Food Enterprise Zone in Holbeach with its vision to attract businesses centred around robotics, automation and new innovative technologies, inspired by the University of Lincoln, to make the food and farming sector in South Holland genuine world leaders.

"Preliminary work is now underway on that site.

"Having personally visited the Gousto site in Spalding a few months ago, I came away inspired and excited about the technology, engineering software and efficient use of the workforce being utilised on the site and can appreciate why they have had such significant growth since their inception.

"One of many businesses of which we can be proud in South Holland.”

Gousto says its announcement follows a recent £30m funding round, taking the total funds raised by the company to more than £100m.

The expansion will position Gousto as one of Europe's leading technology enabled companies.

Timo Boldt, CEO and Founder of Gousto, said: "We live in times of severe economic uncertainty and have seen a recent slowing in job creation.

"We are proud to be bucking this trend.

"The 700 jobs we will create over the next three years will enable us to keep pace with rapidly changing consumer behaviours. People, couples and families still want to cook quality meals and maintain a healthy, balanced diet, but the weekly pilgrimage to the supermarket no longer works amid busy lifestyles.

"Growing Gousto and fulfilling our ambition to become the UK's best loved way to eat dinner, requires a specific focus on our technology team. It will not only contribute to the UK economy, but allow us to offer even more choice, inspiration and convenience to busy families."Gousto says it is the only company globally in the industry to have automated production powered by data science.

The company says that means it can offer customers by far the most advanced value proposition: the most choice (over 40 weekly recipes), most delivery options (seven days a week), lowest price (from £2.98 per meal), shortest lead times (3 days) and zero household food waste.

Gousto has seen huge growth following its inception in 2012. Since launching with four people, it now counts over 500 employees in its workforce across its two UK sites and has seen consistent year-on-year growth of 70 per cent.