Walkers - the makers of British crisp classics such as Wotsits and Monster Munch - is to see a £58m investment and up to 100 new jobs created at its Leicester site. Owners PepsiCo said it was its biggest investment in the UK for 25 years. The site - one of the world's biggest crisp and snack factories - is marking its 75th anniversary. PepsiCo said the investment would see a new manufacturing line installed and existing machinery replaced. It will also mean major work on the employee facilities for the site's 1,120-strong workforce, including training areas, a new on-site restaurant and meeting rooms. PepsiCo said the investment would help secure the future of the factory and position Walkers for further growth in the long-term. It said the planned production line would help increase capacity at the factory and enable the production of more Walkers snacks, notably Wotsits and Monster Munch, which have grown in popularity in recent years. The cash will also be spent on replacing ovens, so they will be powered by renewable electricity, which PepsiCo said would help cut around 1,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year, as well as the installation of compact packaging equipment to cut plastic from snack multipacks.
