4 minute read - 7th November 2022
Mondelēz contributed £933m to UK economy in 2021
Mondelēz International, makers and bakers of brands including Cadbury, Oreo and Maynards Bassetts, has released its latest economic and social impact report – Mondelēz UK: Making the Right Impact – which details the company’s economic contribution to the UK economy, totalling £933m in overall gross value added in 2021.
From a grocer’s shop in 1824 in Birmingham where Cadbury was founded, to major production facilities located across the UK today, Mondelēz says it is committed to investing significantly into its roots. From 2012 to 2021, it invested £273m into its five UK manufacturing sites: Bournville in Birmingham; Crediton, Devon; Chirk, Wales; Marlbrook, Worcestershire; and Sheffield, Yorkshire.
The Bournville factory has stood for 110 years, and 2021 saw a further commitment of £15m to upgrade Dairy Milk tablet production and to expand chocolate making capacity. Cadbury Dairy Milk is the number one chocolate brand in the UK, made in Bournville – the heart and home of the business, which produces 5.5 million blocks of chocolate, 400 million chocolate buttons and 1 million Wispa bars in a single day. In 2014, production costs at Bournville were three times more than those of similar factories in Germany and other European markets. As a result of significant investment in the site, production efficiency has increased by more than 30%.
Mondelēz International made an economic contribution of £933m in the UK in 2021 – over the last decade it has invested £273m at five UK manufacturing sites / Picture: Mondelēz International
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People and skills
Mondelēz International supports 10,372 jobs across the UK, with 4,231 directly employed and 6,141 indirectly supported.
• West Midlands (Bournville manufacturing plant, global R&D hub, office, Marlbrook dairy factory, as well as Minworth distribution centre): 2,804 direct, 1,320 indirect
• London (office site in Uxbridge): 422 direct, 1,842 indirect
• South East (R&D sites in Reading and Workingham): 372 direct, 359 indirect
• Yorkshire and the Humber (sweet confectionary plant in Sheffield): 313 direct, 353 indirect
• South West (Earnest Jackson site in Crediton producing medicated confectionery and vitamins): 172 direct, 79 indirect
• Wales (cocoa bean processing site in Chirk): 148 direct, 60 indirect
• North West of England: despite not having any sites in the region, the business contributes nearly £86m and 1,314 indirect jobs to the local economy through supply chain procurement and positive effects on regional income.
The business is creating a pipeline of talent for the future, investing in UK apprenticeships and training, and running 13 PhD partnerships with research institutions across the country. Since 2017, Mondelēz International has utilised the UK Apprenticeship Levy to create new pathways into the business, this totals an investment of £2.5m. The business employs more than 600 food scientists, technologists and chemists across its two research and development sites in Reading and Bournville (the company’s global centre of excellence for chocolate R&D), making it one of the largest food R&D groups in the UK.
Louise Stigant, UK managing director at Mondelēz International, said: “200 years on we are still motivated by the same values of generosity and duty to nurture the community, evident in the significant impact we have on the economy and communities in the UK as a whole. We have a long, proud history in the UK of adapting to change, enabled by our scale around the world, which has secured enduring success of our business and our beloved brands.”
Mondelēz International supports 10,372 jobs across the UK, with 4,231 directly employed and 6,141 indirectly supported / Picture: Mondelēz International
More than a manufacturer
In 1935, the Cadbury Brothers established The Charitable Brothers Trust with the objective of helping to create prosperous and inclusive communities, today the trust is known as The Cadbury Foundation. Over the past 10 years, the foundation has spent £15.5m supporting regional communities, with £7m used to support those most in need during the pandemic including Age UK, Fareshare, Community Shop, Trussell Trust Foodbanks, Grocery Aid, National Emergencies Trust, national and local charities and frontline NHS and emergency services.
A core pillar to The Cadbury Foundation is health and wellbeing. In 2021, Mondelēz International’s Health for Life programme celebrated its 10th anniversary. The scheme has seen an investment of £4.5m, reaching nearly 250,000 children and adults in Birmingham since 2011 with support to adopt healthier lifestyles through cooking, growing food and physical activity.
The Health for Life programme is delivered by Mondelēz International’s delivery partners, Services For Education and The Conservation Volunteers, who in the last decade have enabled over 200 schools across Birmingham to invest in long-term resources for healthier lifestyle activities benefitting 70,000 pupils and families. In addition, 17 community food growing spaces have been developed with activities involving 6,000 local people, whilst more than 1,200 Mondelēz International employees volunteered practical support to enhance the programme.