Drinks giant Britvic PLC (LON:BVIC) is to close its factory site in Norwich, resulting in hundreds of job losses.
The company will transfer production of Robinsons and Fruit Shoot from Carrow Works to other locations across the UK, including Leeds, Rugby and east London. The site will shut towards the end of 2019.
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Britvic said it will help affected staff find alternative employment or offer redeployment opportunities at other sites.
Carrow Works has 249 employees but Britvic said many are on 12-month fixed contracts, which end before the site shuts.
Chief executive Simon Litherland said: “This was not a proposal that we made lightly and we understand that the outcome of the collective consultation process will be upsetting for our colleagues in Norwich. It is a sad and difficult time.”
Transferring production to other sites will deliver significant productivity and efficiency savings in manufacturing operations, the company said.
The decision to shut the site will also offer environmental benefits, it added.
READ: Britvic is shutting Norwich manufacturing, cutting 242 jobs from the site
Britvic said it had consulted employee representatives, including the GMB and Unite unions.
The Unite union said the announcement was a “hammer blow for the workers and the economy of Norwich in the run-up to Christmas”.
“It is bad news for the wider Norfolk economy, especially as we face challenging economic times in 2018,” said Julia Long, the Unite national officer for the food and drink sector.