Sweet Dreams opens new £3m facility

Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle has cut the ribbon on Sweet Dreams’ new £3m extension.

Sweet Dreams, established by local businessman Riaz Ahmed 25 years ago, is a major manufacturer of beds and upholstery employing around 200 people in the Burnley area, and the new extension represents a significant milestone in the company’s development

The new building, which adjoins the original Primrose Mill, is 56,000 sq ft and provides Sweet Dreams with a new 48,600 sq ft warehouse plus a purpose-designed showroom.

Storage capacity at the premises has increased from 800 to 2,200 pallets which has an impact on how much product can be stored, and therefore how much more streamlined and efficient the operation can be. Delivery times, already one of the industry’s best at 10 working days, are to be reduced in the near future as a direct result of the new facility. Riaz Ahmed said: "While increased efficiency and capacity were obviously major goals, I am particularly pleased that the new building has secured Sweet Dreams’ future in Burnley, with all that means for our local, loyal workforce. Ninety per cent of Sweet Dreams workers live within five miles of the site – and 63% have been with the company for at least five years –10% for 15 years or more."