MORE than 50 new jobs are to be created by one of Southampton’s largest employers.

British American Tobacco (BAT) is to recruit 55 new scientists to work at its Global Research and Development department based in Millbrook.

The news came as the tobacco giant unveiled is the new base for its global supply network – also at the Millbrook site.

Southampton, where BAT has had a presence for more than a century, was the “natural choice” for the new facility said BAT’s group operations director Alan Davy when he spoke at yesterday’s official opening of the company’s £4m supply hub.

It is housed in the former research and development lab on the Millbrook site which has stood empty for some time.

Now it is home to 350 staff who moved in last week. Each year this team sources 22,000 different materials weighing more than billion tonnes, from more than 1,000 suppliers.

He added that BAT had invested £30m in the Southampton site over the last six years.

There are also plans to add another storey to the R&D building – a glass-roofed level with a balcony – which will be used for testing sessions of new products with members of the public.

“This shows confidence the company has in the city of Southampton. 
“It’s a crucial part of our global business and is a key tour success,” Mr Davy told a gathering of staff and guests at the opening ceremony.

The Mayor of Southampton Councillor Cathie McEwing then unveiled a plaque at the opening event and wished BAT every success in the future.

The 11.5-acre site is also home to BAT’s Global Leaf Operation who source and manage the tobacco leaf for the entire business and IT, data and finance’s departments with global reach.

BAT employs more than 1,200 staff in Southampton – more than when it ceased manufacturing cigarettes in the city in 2006 – and the workforce includes people of 37 different nationalities.

The mayor and other invited guests were given a tour of the site.

Among the guests was Romsey and Southampton North MP Caroline Nokes who told the Echo: “It’s great to see so much investment coming into the city and it’s fantastic to see that Southampton was the ‘natural choice’ for this facility.”

The MP, who is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Work and Pensions, said it was important for Southampton to attract large employers like BAT which brought with them high calibre jobs.

Ms Nokes aid she was amazed at the number of different nationalities employed by BAT.

Referring to changes that may come with the movement of labour post Brexit the MP added: “It’s important we really work together to see that their places in the city are secure.”

The launch of the new supply network came just three days after BAT had announced that it was going ahead with a £41 billion takeover of US rival Reynolds - one of the biggest deals ever involving a British company.

The takeover will create the largest tobacco firm in the world and brings together a raft of global brands under one roof, including BAT products Rothmans, Kool, Kent, Lucky Strike and Dunhill with Reynolds’ brands such as Newport and Camel.