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Proposed restructuring plans across four UK manufacturing plants for PepsiCo’s Walkers crisps could be set to impact over 500 jobs.

The changes reportedly being consulted on could take place at the crisp maker’s largest factories located in Leicester, Coventry, Lincoln and Skelmersdale, aiming to enhance technical capabilities and streamline operations.

PepsiCo has made significant investments into the sites in the past few years, injecting £13 million into a new manufacturing line at the Coventry site last year, £58 million into the Leicester site in 2023, and £21 million into the Lincoln site in 2021.

The company affirmed its “commitment to the Midlands region” last year, where it said it employed more than 2,100 people at the time.

While PepsiCo has not yet confirmed the number of jobs set to be affected, local news outlet LeicestershireLive reported that around 560 jobs are at risk nationally, around 250 of which could be at the Leciester site.

The Walkers company houses a number of popular UK crisp brands, including Walkers, Monster Munch and Quavers.

According to BBC News, UK workers union Unite confirmed it had members across all four sites. Unite national officer Paul Travers told the BBC: “We will now be entering consultations and fighting for every job”.

“Unite will ensure our members' best interests are the priority, including negotiating against compulsory redundancies and for the best possible severance packages for those wishing to take voluntary redundancy.”

A spokesperson for PepsiCo said: “We recently told our teams that we will be consulting on proposed changes to our operational structure, affecting a proportion of employees at our snacks manufacturing sites in the UK.”

“No decisions will be made without first consulting affected employees and their representatives. Our priority is providing support for our people throughout this process.”

Top image: © PepsiCo