EXPANSION is on the horizon for a North Yorkshire food distribution business after planning permission was granted for a 110,000sq ft extension of one of its cold stores.

Reed Boardall, which specialises in temperature controlled distribution, is expanding its largest and most modern cold store in a move which will provide storage for an additional 30,000 pallets.

Based on a 55-acre site in Boroughbridge, off the A1, the company already provides 142,000 pallet capacity across its four state-of-the-art cold stores.

Chief executive Keith Boardall said: "As a company, we are constantly looking ahead and believe it’s important to be able to take advantage of market opportunities by being able to respond swiftly to our customers’ changing needs.

"Planning processes tend to be fairly lengthy and with demand for our services continuing to grow, we know that it is only a matter of time until we will need to expand our facilities further.

"With major changes in the supply chain expected, we are in a strong position to adapt our operations in line with customer requirements whether this means increasing our cold storage capacity or adding ancillary services."

Reed Boardall is one of the largest temperature controlled food distribution businesses in the UK, storing and delivering frozen food from manufacturers across Britain, Europe and further afield to all the UK’s best-known supermarkets.

Operating 24/7, its 180-strong fleet of vehicles moves an average of 12,000 pallets a day and it stores around £100 million worth of products on behalf of its customers. It is based at a single site in Boroughbridge, which is the largest of its kind in Europe.