14 May 2008 - Unilever's Pot Noodle facility in Wales, which is let entirely to Unilever Best Food UK by a property management company, is being offered for sale by the owner at an Allsop auction in London on Tuesday, 20 May.
The facility, located in the Croespenmaen Industrial Estate in Crumlin, produces 155 million Pot Noodles every year. The auction is expected to stir interest and the guide price provided by Allsop is GBP 2.6-2.7 million.
Earlier this year, Unilever said it would cut 62 jobs at the plant, which employs more than 200 people. The company announced in September 2007 would cut 315 jobs in Britain over a 12 month period as part of its worldwide cost-cutting programme, but in April it decided it would remain open, say local media reports.
The reports, in April, said that Unilever would invest GBP 1 million in the Crumlin plant in order to secure its future.
Launched the UK in 1977, the Pot Noodle brand is Unilever’s original instant hot snack. It is the UK’s No 1 Pot Snack with a huge 77% market share, Unilever reports.
Also last month, FLEXNEWS reported that Unilever said it would cut 103 jobs at its Purfleet plant as well as invest GBP 7 million in the facility over the next 2 years to improve the site's technological capabilities.
Unilever employs approximately 300 people at the Purfleet plant, which mainly produces Unilever’s spreads such as Flora, Flora proActiv, Bertolli, Stork, and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!