Premier Foods unveils £36m investment to double cooking sauce capacity

Premier Foods has announced a significant capital expenditure plan, committing £36 million to expand and upgrade its manufacturing facility in Worksop.

Representing the company’s largest single site investment in over 15 years, the move is designed to drastically increase production capacity, enhance efficiency, and bring key brand manufacturing operations in-house.

The core of the multi-year investment, which will be phased through to 2029, involves installing a new high-speed manufacturing line and upgrading site storage and logistics facilities. Premier Foods expects the changes to more than double the annual production capacity for its portfolio of cooking sauce brands, which includes Sharwood’s, Homepride, and Loyd Grossman.

Crucially, the funding will facilitate the transition of Loyd Grossman cooking sauce production from a third-party supplier to in-house manufacturing at Worksop, commencing in early 2028.

The investment announcement coincides with the extension of the company’s brand licensing agreement with Sir Loyd Grossman, renewing the partnership until 2034 with an option for a further five years. The renewal underscores the continued confidence in the brand, which has delivered annual growth of 4.7% over the last five years.

Alex Whitehouse, CEO of Premier Foods, positioned the investment as a central pillar of the company’s growth strategy.

“A key pillar of our growth strategy is investing in our supply chain to increase productivity and efficiency,” commented Mr Whitehouse. “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,” he added.

The £36 million capital expenditure will not only secure the long-term supply of strategic brands but also strengthen the future of the Worksop site, which currently employs approximately 500 people.

The news follows another recently announced £19 million investment in Premier Foods’ Lifton Creamery in Devon, home of the Ambrosia brand, aimed at increasing production capacity for porridge pots. The company noted that it has more than doubled its infrastructure investment in the two years leading up to the current fiscal year and is targeting a total spend of £55 million in FY25/26, signalling a strong corporate commitment to boosting operational capabilities and UK manufacturing.