PJ Smoothies to shut Newark plant

PepsiCo UK is to close its PJ Smoothies soft drinks factory in Newark, Nottinghamshire, scrapping 35 jobs, in order to transfer production to an existing site at Boxford, Suffolk.

The Boxford plant is currently used to process PepsiCo’s Copella fruit juices and is scheduled to close in December. The decision to move was taken after much consideration, said PepsiCo UK. The company said the shift to the larger site would allow PJ Smoothies to continue its growth, create employment opportunities in Boxford, and develop a foundation for future expansion.

In a statement, PepsiCo said: “PJ Smoothies has made an important contribution to our business since the acquisition by PepsiCo in January 2005, with significant increases in volumes over the last 18 months.

“To deliver this potential and future growth in our smoothie category and take advantage of larger scale production, we have decided to develop our strategic juice facility at Boxford in Suffolk. This decision unfortunately requires the closure of Newark.

“The welfare of our people at Newark is now our number one priority and we are offering all 35 of the affected employees at Newark the opportunity of an alternative role at other sites. For those who decide not to relocate we have committed to working with them to support their search for alternative employment in the local area.”

The Unite union said it had not yet been called upon to become involved in negotiations with the company over the job losses.