Walkers to get £58m investment at Leicester crisp factory

The investment will mean the creation of up to 100 new jobs, the company said

Walkers - the makers of British crisp classics such as Wotsits and Monster Munch - is to see a £58m investment and up to 100 new jobs created at its Leicester site.

Owners PepsiCo said it was its biggest investment in the UK for 25 years.

The site - one of the world's biggest crisp and snack factories - is marking its 75th anniversary.

PepsiCo said the investment would see a new manufacturing line installed and existing machinery replaced.

Leicester-born Gary Lineker became the face of the Walkers brand in the 1990s

It will also mean major work on the employee facilities for the site's 1,120-strong workforce, including training areas, a new on-site restaurant and meeting rooms.

PepsiCo said the investment would help secure the future of the factory and position Walkers for further growth in the long-term.

It said the planned production line would help increase capacity at the factory and enable the production of more Walkers snacks, notably Wotsits and Monster Munch, which have grown in popularity in recent years.

Some of its crisps - such as Wotsits Giants and Monster Munch Giants, which are currently manufactured in Europe, will be made in Leicester once construction is completed in 2024.

PepsiCo said sales of Wotsits and Monster Munch had risen

The cash will also be spent on replacing ovens, so they will be powered by renewable electricity, which PepsiCo said would help cut around 1,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year, as well as the installation of compact packaging equipment to cut plastic from snack multipacks.

In 2018, the company faced calls from campaigners to make its packets recyclable.

It said its packaging could now be recycled at major supermarkets.

The firm also plans to invest in the development of further healthier snacks ranges.

The company said the changes would help increase capacity at the factory

Jason Richards, senior vice president and general manager at PepsiCo UK and Ireland 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.

"Alongside upgrades to meet increased demand for our snacks, we're proud to be investing in creating better facilities for our people, who remain at the heart of bringing our most loved snacks to households across the country."

The Leicester site is one of the world's biggest crisp and snack factories

He added the investment would also mean new training opportunities for employees, with up to 100 new roles being created to manage workload across the new equipment and technology.

This announcement follows a £24m investment in PepsiCo's Lincoln factory announced in 2021, as well as further investments in its Leicester distribution centre and the Skelmersdale and Coventry Walkers sites in recent years.