2 min read - 11 Nov, 2026
Mars invests £161m in Midlands pet food manufacturing site
Mars, Incorporated, the family-owned business behind household brands including Whiskas, Pedigree, Sheba, Ben’s Original, Extra, M&M’s and Snickers, has announced a £161m investment to modernise and future-proof its pet nutrition factory in Melton Mowbray.
This latest commitment takes the company’s total capital investment in the UK to £661m since 2021. It follows a £190m investment announced earlier this year in the Mars chocolate factory in Slough, and a £1.2m upgrade to its pet nutrition research and development hub in Birstall.
The major upgrade to the site will introduce advanced manufacturing technologies, including smart optical sorting to cut production waste by over 50%, alongside the installation of new high-speed state-of-the-art pouch lines to enable the switch to fully recyclable mono-PP packaging. Together, these upgrades will create a more modern, resilient and future-ready manufacturing operation.
The investment will also actively support local employment and career pathways by creating more than 30 skilled technical and engineering roles in the first year. It will expand Melton Mowbray’s apprenticeship cohort from 26 to 33 permanent positions by 2027.
Mars, Incorporated has announced a £161m investment to modernise its pet nutrition facility in Melton Mowbray / Picture: Mars
Across its wider UK business, Mars currently employs more than 140 apprentices, backed by a dedicated curriculum designed to upskill associates in artificial intelligence, digital systems, and data analytics. Mars maintains a 97% permanent placement offer rate for apprentices upon completion of their training.
Nick Foster, general manager for Mars Pet Nutrition, Northern Europe, said: “The UK is a cornerstone of our global pet care business at Mars, and this £161 million investment is a direct statement of our confidence in the UK market and the vital role our British factories play within our wider European network. Melton Mowbray has been feeding the nation’s pets for 75 years. By equipping our teams with world-class technology and sustainable manufacturing capabilities, we are strengthening the site’s role within our regional supply network and ensuring we can continue to meet the needs of British pet owners for years to come.”
Mars contributes $7.7bn GVA to the UK economy annually and employs over 10,000 associates across Britain, which serves as the company’s second-largest market globally. The business operates eight manufacturing facilities across the UK, including sites in Slough, Plymouth, Melton Mowbray, Birstall, Milton Keynes, Castle Cary and King’s Lynn.
This industrial footprint is complemented by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute in Leicestershire, an international authority on animal health and nutrition, alongside Linnaeus, a veterinary network of more than 180 clinics and referral hospitals across the UK and Ireland.
