UK retailer Morrisons has invested close to £1 million in a new melon processing room at its Thrapton site in Northamptonshire.
New washers and dryers have been installed and seven new jobs have been created at the facility.
The supermarket has now ceased production of melon portions at its Bradford and Northwich sites and brought all melon production under one roof.
“These are state-of-the-art facilities,” said a Morrisons spokeswoman. The site produces portions of Cantaloupe, Piel De Sapo, Galia, Honeydew and watermelon and has the capacity to produce 100,000 portions a day, she added.
Thrapston site general manager Jonathan Oldfield said, “The investment we’ve made in this site is a sign of our commitment to the area and the great news is that it will create extra jobs which we’ll be looking to recruit for locally.
“We’re proud to be the only supermarket to make and produce much of the food sold in our stores ourselves and this investment just adds to that legacy.”
Morrisons takes a large degree of direct control over its supply chain, owning 18 facilities across the country ranging from abattoirs and packhouses to fish, flower and a banana-ripening site, which was opened by the retailer in May.
© 2013 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine by Ellen Lunney
