The Kraft Heinz Company has announced plans to invest £140 million (€162.8 million) in its food manufacturing facility in northern England over the next four years, subject to US approval.
The plans for the Kitt Green plant, which is located northwest of Manchester, would be aimed at adding production capacity for Heinz ketchup, mayonnaise and salad cream.
The investment will also fund equipment and technology and create up to 50 new full-time jobs, the company said.
The plant will continue making Heinz soups and pasta. It already makes 1.3 billion cans of food per year.
The investment would be the company's biggest expansion of an existing manufacturing site outside the United States in more than 20 years.
'Vote Of Confidence'
"The Kraft Heinz investment is a vote of confidence in the UK economy from a major US firm and a boost that will mean jobs and growth for the local economy," UK Minister for Investment Gerry Grimstone said in a statement.
Kraft Heinz said the plan was one of the largest proposed investments in British manufacturing since Brexit but did not provide details.
In April of this year, Kraft Heinz reported a rise in demand for ketchup sachets in the US as a result of the pandemic.
The company told the AFP news agency that this trend has largely been driven by 'accelerated delivery and take-out trends', with more consumers ordering from home, rather than going to restaurants.
Kraft Heinz saw net sales grow to $6.39 billion (€5.27 billion) in the three months ended 27 March, from $6.16 billion (€5.08 billion) a year earlier, beating analysts' estimated sales of $6.24 billion, according to IBES Refinitiv.
