Trade unions have described confirmation that Britvic (London / UK; www.britvic.com) is to close its Norwich / UK, production facility by the end of 2019, with the loss of nearly 250 jobs as “a hammer blow” for affected staff and the local economy.

The soft drinks company said in October that it was planning to close the plant, which it co-owns with household products giant Unilever (London and Rotterdam / The Netherlands; www.unilever.com). Britvic will move manufacturing to other UK factories in London, Leeds and Rugby by the end of 2019 in order to improve the efficiency and productivity of its operations. The company said 242 workers would be affected by the closure and offered what it called “a comprehensive package of support, including redeployment opportunities at other sites and outplacement services to help find alternative employment.”

Unite, the trade union which represents a number of workers at the site, criticised the timing of the announcement and, according to the BBC, described the closure as “a hammer blow for the workers and the economy of Norwich in the run up [to] Christmas.”

In October, Simon Litherland, Britvic’s chief executive, said the decision to close the Norwich factory was “not taken lightly … However, the changes we are proposing present significant productivity and efficiency savings in our manufacturing operations, deliver environmental benefits.”

Recently, Unilever agreed to sell its Spreads business for EUR 6.8 bn to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR, Europe: London / UK; www.kkr.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 21.12.2017. It includes products from the "Becel", "Rama" and "ProActiv" brands.