A DOUBLE unveiling has been celebrated at a North Yorkshire pet food producer which opened its new £7 million facilities alongside revealing a new brand identity.

Wagg Foods of Thirsk has been renamed Inspired Pet Nutrition more than two decades after the family-owned business started producing pet food at Dalton Airfield in the 1980's.

Alongside the new name, the company yesterday officially opened its new 100,000 sq ft distribution centre and offices near to its existing facilities at the airfield.

The firm has invested £7 million in the building which currently has the capacity to store around 11,500 pallets with room to add a further 5,000 spaces if required.

Some 30 office staff will also move to the new building with production personnel taking over their current office space which will be used for meeting rooms and improved canteen facilities.

The investment is in addition to the £20 million the business has spent over the past five years on automating production in its existing two mills which are also on Dalton Airfield. A further £3 million is scheduled to be spent on the mills in the next two years.

Richard Page, managing director at Inspired Pet Nutrition, which also incorporates the Harringtons brand, said: "Wagg is the volume market leader and Harringtons continues to be one of the fastest growing brands in dried dog food.

"We believe that a clearer focus on these two main brands will be achieved by having a separate identity for the overall business.

"Our aim still remains the production of the highest quality pet food products through constant improvement in manufacturing processes and product innovation.

"This investment will further increase efficiency as the new site significantly boosts our stock holding capacity so longer production runs are possible. Therefore equipment downtime associated with changing over product lines is reduced along with the associated packaging waste."

The business manufactures a range of pet food and treats for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters. In addition to its Wagg and Harringtons brands, the company is also a major supplier of own label products to retailers.

In addition to the UK, the firm’s products can also be found in 16 countries around the world, particularly France, Germany and Spain. Turnover is now some £60 million pa and the Dalton site has more than 130 employees.