UK: PepsiCo to invest £58 million in Walkers factory

PepsiCo, the global snacks and drinks giant, has announced an investment of £58 million ($67.3 million) to scale its long-standing facility in the UK city of Leicester.

In a statement, the company said the investment would be used to increase production capacity, replace gas-fired ovens with ones runing on renewable electricity, installing compact packaging equipment to decrease plastic usage in snack multipacks, and invest in the development of additional ranges of healthier snacks.

Once construction is complete in 2024, Leicester also will become the new manufacturing location for brands such as Wotsits Giants and Monster Munch Giants, which are currently produced in Europe.

Commenting on the investment, Jason Richards, senior vice president and general manager at PepsiCo said: “In 2023 we’re celebrating 75 years of Walkers crisps, so there’s no better time to renew our commitment to Leicester – a city and community that have been crucial to our success in the UK. As we look ahead to the next 75 years and future-proof our UK operations, this £58m investment will transform our manufacturing site and installing state-of-the-art equipment will help us deliver on our ambitions on packaging and health”.

Source: PepsiCo