Bentley unveils major expansion plan
Bentley has announced a £40m expansion at its headquarters in Crewe, with a new 480,000 sq ft research and development centre creating over 300 jobs.
George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, visited Bentley on Thursday to mark the announcement.
The new centre will include a dedicated styling studio, research and development offices and a technical workshop. The facilities will house 1,300 Bentley engineers and is the latest step in preparing Bentley's infrastructure to bring the world's first ultra-luxury SUV to roads in 2016. Work on the new developments will begin early next year.
A new supplier park next to the Bentley site is also planned. Cheshire East Council is working with the company to assemble the necessary land for expansion.
Wolfgang Dürheimer, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, said: "With Bentley's new research and development centre, we will develop a new generation of Bentleys, which will continue our commitment of luxury, performance, quality and engineering excellence. Bentley is the number one luxury car manufacturer in the world and driving more investment into our headquarters and attracting talent is key to continuing our success."
Including these latest roles, Bentley has now announced the creation of over 950 jobs in the past 18 months, during which time the business has produced record sales. Last year, Bentley delivered a record number of cars, 10,120, and expects to break that figure in 2014. The company also committed to an £800 million investment over three years in product and facility development.
George Osborne said: "Bentley is an iconic British Brand that exports around the world. Their decision to create another 300 jobs in R&D on a new site providing close to 1,000 new jobs is fantastic news for Crewe and for Britain.
"These highly skilled jobs in this export industry are exactly the kind of opportunities we want to see created which is why in yesterday's Autumn Statement I provided further incentives for R&D in the UK.
"The investment will not only create jobs at Bentley, but support many more through suppliers across the UK. I want Britain to be a country where companies want to invest and create jobs, as Bentley is doing today."
Cheshire East Council leader, Cllr Michael Jones, said: "Cheshire East Council is keen to maximise the opportunities that would flow from attracting more investment from Bentley's supply chain."
