Cool £50m tastes sweet for economy of West city

THE future of Gloucester as the home of Wall's ice cream has been secured as The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) yesterday announced details of a £50 million upgrade to its factory in the city.

- CARMELO GARCIA

This investment by the world’s largest ice cream company is the latest in a series of site upgrades around the world as part of the company’s more than £300-million supply chain transformation programme.

This upgrade will increase production capacity, modernise infrastructure, and enhance operational efficiency at the Gloucester site - home to the UK production of ice cream products including Viennetta, Twister, Solero and Magnum.

Earlier this year, Gloucester City Council planners gave the go-ahead for new buildings and a replacement mix plant facility at their site off Corinium Avenue in Barnwood. The upgrade includes a complete rebuild of the factory’s mix plant, installation of advanced blending systems and the commission of new high-speed production lines for classic products such as Twister and Solero. The improvements will help increase output by 50 per cent by 2027.

The investment has been welcomed by investment minister Jason Stockwood, pictued inset, and city MP Alex McIntyre who visited the plant on Friday.