A manufacturer of luxury popcorn – which received funding from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership to expand – is now aiming to have its products sold in national supermarkets.
Tommy Tucker Ltd, which has premises in Shireoaks and Retford in Nottinghamshire, produces popcorn, candyfloss and confectionery. It is already a leading supplier to Odeon and Vue cinemas across the country, and now has aspirations for selling its products through national retailers.
The Nottinghamshire firm recently received a £62,500 Unlocking Investment for Growth (UI4G) grant from D2N2 – the Local Enterprise Partnership for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire – to enable it to employ an extra 11 full time staff.
Tommy Tucker Popcorn
The D2N2 grant formed part of a £300,000 expansion plan by Tommy Tucker to enable it to bring in new machinery, create new products and move into new markets. Tommy Tucker is predicting a 30% growth in the business over the next five years as a result of the development of its Shireoaks site.
On receiving news of the D2N2 grant, Simon Stanham, Financial Director of Tommy Tucker, said: “The machinery brought in is the main element to this project and, without getting the capital support from D2N2, we would not have been able to press ahead.”
D2N2 Chief Executive David Ralph said today: “Having bridged a funding gap through our Unlocking Investment for Growth programme it is clear that Tommy Tucker is a thriving business. The news that the company is moving towards selling its products nationally is great progress.”
Unlocking Investment for Growth (UI4G) is funded by the UK’s Regional Growth Fund and the European Regional Development Fund. UI4G grant awards are given by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership‘s Investment Panel, chaired by Peter Gadsby. The aim of the fund is to create long term sustainable jobs.
UI4G is now fully committed and is no longer accepting applications. Grants already approved will create over 400 new jobs and safeguard a further 350 existing jobs. The programme has inspired business owners in the D2N2 area to invest over £20million, alongside the grant support of £4.7million, to grow their businesses. The programme is managed for D2N2 by EMB Ltd.
For more information on this article or D2N2’s work contact Sean Kirby, D2N2 Communications Officer, on 0115 9578749 or email: sean.kirby@d2n2lep.org
