A GROWING Yorkshire business is making a sweet move from Thorpe Arch to Tockwith, near York.

Bon Bon's (Wholesale) Ltd is relocating to the Moorside Business Park, taking premises more than twice its current size.

All its staff are moving too.

The company, founded in 2008, provides luxury confectionery for high-end independent retailers and visitor attractions.

In 2019, it purchased hf Chocolates, a leading importer, distributor and wholesaler of fine chocolates and novelties.

The business reports 'exponential' year-on-year expansion, with hf Chocolates alone increasing by 40% since its acquisition and, as such, has out-grown its current home at nearby Thorpe Arch in Wetherby.

At 56,600 ft2, the Moorside site is more than double the footprint of Bon Bon’s current premises, providing the ambitious business with room to grow.

It will also bring all Bon Bon’s and hf Chocolate operations under one roof which further increases efficiencies.

The building has been renovated prior to the move, with Bon Bon’s investing circa £1million in its fabric and infrastructure.

A new roof has been fitted with a 100kW array of monocrystalline solar panels which should generate about 80,000kWh (kilowatt hours) of electricity per year.

The roof also has additional 300mm of insulation to improve the thermal efficiency of the building, which is heated by a biomass boiler. Electric vehicle charging points have been installed in the car park and movement sensitive LED lighting has been installed throughout. Three new clean rooms extend the company’s packing capabilities, while new loading and fire doors increase efficiency and safety.

Bon Bon's Managing Director Steve Campbell said: "This move highlights a significant period in Bon Bon’s growth. We have aggressive expansion plans which simply weren’t possible due to space constraints at our previous site.

"At the same time, it was important to maintain our Yorkshire roots as most of our staff live within 10 miles of our facility. Moorside met and exceeded all our requirements.

"All our current 63 staff will move with the business, so we retain our Bon Bon’s ‘family’ as well as their knowledge and expertise. The plan is to continue to employ locally as we grow."

He added: "“Our investment in this building has been significant – we’re here for the long term. We plan to grow the building as we grow the business with plans already in place to increase our solar panels. 100kW is the largest array the current grid connection could take; given the roof is big enough for about 600kW, we hope to be able to expand this when possible while continuing to seek out further ways to lessen our business’ impact on the environment.”

For further information on Bon Bon’s and hf Chocolates, go to www.bonbons.co.uk