Nestle Restructures UK Confectionery Business
Nestle is to close its confectionery factory at Castleford but has opened a new £5m Kit Kat production line in York. Production from Castleford, which produces After Eight mint chocolates, is being switched to Halifax, where Quality Street chocolates are manufactured, and to Hamburg in Germany.
The move is expected to be completed by December 2012. “Nestle Confectionery is performing well in a very tough market but we have to continue to operate as efficiently as possible to remain competitive,” says David Rennie, UK managing director of Nestle Confectionery.
The new Kit Kat production line at Nestle’s York factory incorporates eight new and upgraded ovens for manufacturing wafers. The new facility is part of a £15m investment programme, spread over three years, to enhance Kit Kat production.
Nestle recently celebrated the Kit Kat brand’s 75th birthday. The iconic brand is sold in more than 70 countries across all five continents and is a vital contributor to Nestle’s global confectionery business.
