Kraft Heinz said the move, which is subject to “final US approvals” from senior management later in the year, would see the factory, based in north-west England, manufacture Heinz-branded sauces.
Up to 50 full-time positions could be created at the site, located in Kitt Green, the company added.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The facility makes Heinz baked beans, soups and pasta. Under the plans, it will also produce tomato ketchup, mayonnaise and salad cream sold under the company’s flagship brand. Kraft Heinz said the cost of the project stood at around GBP140m (US$199.3m).
“As a result of this proposed investment, we are now in the fortunate position where Kitt Green can become a much more modern facility and our teams will have the ability to adopt more contemporary ways of working whilst exemplifying the highest global standards for food manufacturing,” site director Luis Spinardi said in a statement.
Asked by Just Food if Brexit was behind the move and what impact the investment in the UK could have on production in continental Europe, a spokesperson for Kraft Heinz’s operations in the UK said: “It is about building additional sauces manufacturing capacity to meet growing demand – production in Holland continues.”
Kraft Heinz has two other factories in the UK – one in Worcester and another in Telford.
