13 December 2005 - Cadbury Schweppes today announces that it plans to invest £70m to build a new chewing gum factory located on a greenfield site in Poland. This new manufacturing facility is to support the company's growth and increased consumer demand for its brands.
Todd Stitzer, CEO of Cadbury Schweppes commented:
"This factory represents a significant milestone in the great progress we have made in the chewing gum market, both in Europe and across the world. It is an important investment which will enable us to continue to deliver strong growth and innovation from our portfolio of gum brands."
Cadbury Schweppes is the number 2 player in chewing gum in Europe with market leading positions in France, Greece, Denmark, Portugal, Belgium and Switzerland with brands such as Trident, Hollywood, Dirol and STIMOROL. The business has ambitious plans to increase its innovation rate and has made great progress in the last two years. The new factory is an important step to help achieve this aim in the chewing gum category. As well as increased investment in manufacturing, Cadbury Schweppes is also investing significant resources, both in terms of facilities and recruitment, in new product development and research through its Science and Technology function.
Recent innovations in the Cadbury Schweppes chewing gum portfolio include:
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Centre filled gum: Trident Splash, Hollywood Sweet Gum and STIMOROL Fusion
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Longer lasting flavour: Trident (mini sticks), STIMOROL Ice, Dentyne Ice
The construction of the new factory in Poland will commence shortly and it is expected to be operational by 2008. The new factory will create around 300 new jobs with the possibility of further expansion in the future.
The decision to base the factory in Poland reflects the good distribution links to many of the markets where we sell chewing gum, the strong FMCG manufacturing heritage in Poland, and the availability of a highly skilled workforce. Cadbury Schweppes acquired Wedel, the leading chocolate brand in Poland, in 1999 and already has a well-established and successful operational base in Poland, with factories in Wroclaw and Warsaw.