Premier Foods Serves Up £36m Investment to Double Sauces Capacity
Premier Foods has unveiled a £36 million investment plan for its Worksop cooking sauces facility, in a move that will more than double its annual sauces production and bring the much-loved Loyd Grossman range fully in-house for the first time.
The multi-year programme – the company’s largest single site investment in over 15 years – will see Premier Foods significantly upgrade and expand its Worksop operations, which already manufacture household names including Sharwood’s and Homepride cooking sauces, as well as Batchelors, Bisto, Saxa and Oxo.
The investment will be phased through to 2029 and is designed to boost capacity, improve efficiency and support long-term growth for the group’s cooking sauces portfolio.
At the heart of the plan is the transfer of Loyd Grossman cooking sauces production from a third-party supplier into the Worksop site from early 2028. The move follows the extension of Premier Foods’ long-standing licensing agreement with Sir Loyd Grossman through to 2034, with an option to extend for a further five years.
The partnership, first established in 1995, has become one of the UK’s most recognisable premium cooking sauce franchises and has delivered average growth of 4.7% per year over the past five years.
To support the heightened volumes, Premier Foods will install a new high-speed manufacturing line at Worksop, allowing the site to more than double annual production capacity for the group’s cooking sauces brands.
The upgrades will also introduce enhanced capabilities for innovation, giving the business greater flexibility to respond to changing consumer tastes and trends, including demand for healthier options and convenient, restaurant-style meals at home.
Beyond the line itself, the project also includes an expansion and upgrade of site storage facilities and the construction of a new link road to streamline logistics flows around the factory.
Premier Foods said the investment will strengthen the long-term future of the Worksop site, which currently employs around 500 staff, and will be accompanied by upgraded amenities for colleagues on site.
The renewed commitment to the Loyd Grossman brand sits at the centre of this strategy. Premier Foods pointed to a pipeline of successful launches, including the Loyd Grossman Pizza Range and a no-added sugar range of premium sauces, developed both to celebrate 30 years of the partnership and to meet growing consumer demand for healthier yet indulgent options.
These innovations have helped underpin the brand’s steady growth and cement its position with shoppers seeking to recreate restaurant-quality dishes in their own kitchens.
Premier Foods’ chief executive described the Worksop investment as a clear demonstration of the company’s growth blueprint in action, founded on building a more productive, efficient and resilient supply chain. Representing the largest site investment in more than a decade and a half, the programme is expected to support future growth opportunities across the sauces category while simultaneously improving the everyday working environment for colleagues based at the Nottinghamshire site.
The CEO also emphasised that renewing the partnership with Sir Loyd Grossman reflects the group’s confidence in the brand’s future and its ability to keep delivering growth through Premier Foods’ Branded Growth Model.
Sir Loyd Grossman welcomed the extended agreement, highlighting Premier Foods’ commitment to quality and innovation as central to the success of the brand over nearly three decades. He noted that both parties share a passion for creating great-tasting products using high-quality ingredients and said the new deal underlines their shared ambition to keep innovating and to reach even more consumers across the United Kingdom.
The Worksop announcement follows another major capital commitment by Premier Foods: a £19 million investment into its Lifton Creamery in Devon, home of Ambrosia custard.
That project is focused on increasing production capacity in response to strong consumer demand for porridge pots, improving efficiency and supporting local employment. Taken together, the two investments underline Premier Foods’ broader strategy of backing UK manufacturing sites that sit at the heart of its most trusted brands.
In Conclusion
In Worksop, the £36 million injection is not only about machinery and buildings; it is also a statement of long-term intent towards the local community.
By doubling sauces capacity, bringing Loyd Grossman production under its own roof, upgrading storage and logistics, and renewing a flagship licensing partnership through to at least 2034, Premier Foods is positioning the site – and its sauces brands – for the next phase of growth.
For colleagues, customers and consumers alike, the message is clear: the company is preparing its kitchens for a busier future, with innovation, quality and UK manufacturing firmly on the menu.
News Credits: Premier Foods unveils £36M investment as it renews agreement with Loyd Grossman
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