More than 100 jobs are being brought to York by the American-owned dessert giant Sara Lee Corporation.

And with room to double that figure over the next few years, members of York Inward Investment Board are jubilant.

Commercial, sales and marketing staff from the head office of subsidiary Sara Lee Bakeries UK in Bridlington and from its other bases in Corby, Northants, and Newark, Notts, today began to move into centralised offices at Arabesque House, Monks Cross. The process should be completed by the end of August.

Production jobs at Bridlington will not be affected.

Also moving to the 11,500 sq ft of offices are staff from its food service business - the catering arm of the firm - as well as sales people from Sara Lee's sister company, Douwe Egberts coffee who will use part of the two units there as an operational base, including a showroom demonstrating coffee machines.

Paul Murphy, chief executive of York Inward Investment Board, who met Sara Lee bosses in February to persuade them to come to the city, hailed the move of part of the UK headquarters to Monks Cross as "a launching pad".

He said: "They have calculated possibly doubling the size of staff over the next few years and from the company's track record it is clear that this is a firm on the point of growth.

"Now that they are part of the York 'family' I would be very surprised if a connection wasn't found between Sara Lee product development and the bioscience facilities on offer in York."

Councillor Rod Hills, chairman of York Inward Investment Board and leader of the City of York Council, welcomed what he described as a "hat-trick" of companies with owners from Chicago moving into the city within two years - first the reconstitution of RR Donnellys printers, then Thrall Car and now Sara Lee.

Establishing a new three-in-one sales headquarters on the outskirts of York follows two major acquisitions by Sara Lee Bakeries in the last 18 months.

The firm bought Finnegans Famous Cakes at the end of 1996 and Kaysens and Brossard from Grand Met in summer 1997, when staff swelled to more than 1,800 people and market predictions for the company's sales rose to £135 million.

But it also meant three separate commercial support functions. Tim Smith, managing director of Sara Lee Bakeries, said: "Physically it has not been possible to fit these two commercial teams as well as our group functions into the offices at our Bridlington factory. And as Sara Lee Bakeries has become a three-site business it is no longer appropriate to align business units with particular sites."

Mr Smith said that York was chosen for the combined sales headquarters against competition from Leeds, Doncaster and Hull, partly because the city was a good place to lure recruits, a place which would also suit spouses of employees.

Mr White said: "There was no perfect position but York was by far and away the best option, even though the city doesn't have its own airport and as part of the coffee and grocery division of Sara Lee with its headquarters in Utrecht, we fly out regularly to Holland"Attractiveness to employees is important. Market people and many young professionals with their partners usually manage two careers and York is close to other commercial centres like Leeds.."

Most of the chosen staff from the three bases would go to York, he predicted. "Since we started thinking about the move we recruited people who lived close to York and the possibility of the move was generally known.

"It has been a long time in the planning and I am delighted that we have finally been able to press the big green button."

see COMMENT Icing on the cake for York

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