Soft drinks and mixers group Britvic Plc (LON:BVIC) has revealed plans to shut its manufacturing operation in Norwich, cutting some 242 jobs from the site.
The Norwich site handled production of Robinsons and Fruit Shoot branded drinks, which will transfer to other manufacturing sites spread between operations in East London, Leeds and Rugby.
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Britvic said the move, which is expected to improve efficiency and productivity, will have taken place before the end of 2019.
"Britvic is proud to be a British manufacturer and Norwich has been an important site for our business for many years,” said Simon Litherland.
“This is not a proposal that we make lightly and we know this is upsetting news for our colleagues.”
He added: “The changes we are proposing today present significant productivity and efficiency savings in our manufacturing operations, deliver environmental benefits and, coupled with our ongoing investment programme in our GB manufacturing operations, ensure that we have the flexibility and capability we need to respond to changing consumer trends faster and more efficiently.”
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The company also clarified that the proposed closure doesn’t affect the previously communicated £240mln business compatibility programme, which comprises investments to ensure Britvic has appropriate infrastructure to compete in the market and deliver sustainable cost and commercial benefits.
It plans to provide more details regarding the cost of the closure when it releases preliminary full-year results in late November.