85 jobs to go as eight-year-old peanut factory closes
Monday, 2nd December 2013.
Haverhill received a jobs blow this week with the news that the peanut factory is likely to close after just eight years, with 85 jobs being lost.
KP Snacks and parent company Intersnack UK aim to invest £16million in closing their Haverhill factory, built in 2005, and consolidating nut-processing and packing operations in Rotherham.
They propose to shift people working at existing Rotherham nut facilities to a newly-created plant nearby, while creating an additional 80 jobs there over four years.
They are currently in the midst of integration after Intersnack bought KP Snacks from United Biscuits in December last year.
A detailed review of their current nut operations had revealed too much capacity and that the fixed costs of operating two sites was hindering the ability to remain competitive, they said.
They said they appreciated the focus on quality and the commitment of their Haverhill colleagues and would work closely with them as they consult on these proposals in the coming weeks.
They stressed they intended to engage in full consultation with workers at Haverhill and that no final decisions had yet been made.
The site has 85 permanent employees, but the company said it would offer them all the opportunity to relocate to other available roles.
The factory has had a turbulent time in its short life in Haverhill. It was the flagship success of Carisbrooke Developments when they took over marketing Haverhill Business Park in 2005, when it was built by Percy Dalton's in a move out from east London.
At the time managing director Michael Dalton said: "We chose Haverhill because favourable property and development costs made the decision to relocate a simple one. The town’s proximity to London also helps us retain our links with the capital which is important for us."
But it was not long before Percy Dalton's had sold out to KP, and then a year ago came the news that KP had become part of Intersnack.
KP Snacks and parent company Intersnack UK aim to invest £16million in closing their Haverhill factory, built in 2005, and consolidating nut-processing and packing operations in Rotherham.
They propose to shift people working at existing Rotherham nut facilities to a newly-created plant nearby, while creating an additional 80 jobs there over four years.
They are currently in the midst of integration after Intersnack bought KP Snacks from United Biscuits in December last year.
A detailed review of their current nut operations had revealed too much capacity and that the fixed costs of operating two sites was hindering the ability to remain competitive, they said.
They said they appreciated the focus on quality and the commitment of their Haverhill colleagues and would work closely with them as they consult on these proposals in the coming weeks.
They stressed they intended to engage in full consultation with workers at Haverhill and that no final decisions had yet been made.
The site has 85 permanent employees, but the company said it would offer them all the opportunity to relocate to other available roles.
The factory has had a turbulent time in its short life in Haverhill. It was the flagship success of Carisbrooke Developments when they took over marketing Haverhill Business Park in 2005, when it was built by Percy Dalton's in a move out from east London.
At the time managing director Michael Dalton said: "We chose Haverhill because favourable property and development costs made the decision to relocate a simple one. The town’s proximity to London also helps us retain our links with the capital which is important for us."
But it was not long before Percy Dalton's had sold out to KP, and then a year ago came the news that KP had become part of Intersnack.
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