Premier Foods will upgrade its Worksop site, bring Loyd Grossman production in-house and extend the brand partnership to 2034.
Premier Foods has announced a £36m investment to expand its Worksop manufacturing site and bring production of its Loyd Grossman cooking sauces in-house from early 2028. The upgrade will more than double annual cooking sauce capacity and forms part of a renewed licensing agreement with Sir Loyd Grossman, extended to 2034 with the option for a further five years.
At the heart of it all is our commitment to UK manufacturing and to the Worksop community, where we’re proud to be investing for the long term.”
The Worksop site already produces Sharwood’s, Homepride and Loyd Grossman sauces, as well as Batchelors, Bisto, Saxa and Oxo. It employs around 500 people, who will benefit from improved facilities as part of the investment programme.
The funding, which represents Premier’s largest site investment in more than 15 years, will be phased through to 2029. It includes installing a new high-speed manufacturing line to increase productivity, upgrading and expanding storage areas and building a new link road to streamline logistics around the Nottinghamshire facility. Bringing sauce production in-house will secure long-term supply and support the Group’s strategy to enhance supply chain capability.
Commitment to UK manufacturing
Outlining the rationale, CEO Alex Whitehouse said: “A key pillar of our growth strategy is investing in our supply chain to increase productivity and efficiency. Representing our largest site investment in over 15 years, today’s announcement is a great example of this strategy in action.”
He continued: “It will enable us to more than double our annual cooking sauces production capacity, supporting growth opportunities and providing enhanced capabilities for innovation across our cooking sauces’ brands, while improving the site for our colleagues. Renewing our partnership with Sir Loyd Grossman reinforces our belief in the future of this brand and our ability to continue to drive growth through the application of our Branded Growth Model. At the heart of it all is our commitment to UK manufacturing and to the Worksop community, where we’re proud to be investing for the long term.”
Shared ambition
The Loyd Grossman brand has grown by an average of 4.7 percent a year over the past five years, driven by innovation including the Loyd Grossman Pizza Range, a no-added-sugar line and, most recently, a premium sauces collection marking the partnership’s 30th anniversary.
Sir Loyd Grossman said: “I am thrilled to be extending our long-standing partnership with Premier Foods, whose commitment to quality and innovation has been central to the success of the Loyd Grossman brand. We share a passion for creating great-tasting products made with the very best ingredients. This renewed agreement reflects our shared ambition to keep innovating and to bring our sauces to even more customers across the UK.”
The Worksop investment follows Premier Foods’ recently announced £19 million upgrade at its Lifton Creamery in Devon, home of Ambrosia. The Group has more than doubled infrastructure investment in the two years to FY24/25 and expects to spend £55 million in FY25/26.
