Mars has announced a £161 million investment in its pet food factory in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, creating more than 30 skilled technical and engineering roles in its first year and expanding the site's apprenticeship programme. The announcement was made on 10 November 2026, and the modernisation programme will run through to 2031.

The family-owned company behind Whiskas, Pedigree and Sheba said the investment would make Melton Mowbray its primary UK factory for pouched pet food. The new roles are described by Mars as skilled technical and engineering posts, and the site's permanent apprenticeship cohort will grow from 26 to 33 places by 2027, with training focused on areas including mechanical and electrical engineering.

What the money will pay for

The upgrade will introduce high-speed production lines for fully recyclable pouches, advanced manufacturing technology and utility improvements designed to cut waste. Mars said smart optical sorting would cut production waste by more than 50%, and new pouch lines would allow a switch to fully recyclable mono-PP packaging.

The programme will also make the operation more resilient, according to Mars, which said the investment was a direct statement of confidence in the UK market and in the role British factories play in its wider European network. The commitment takes Mars's total capital investment in the UK to £661 million since 2021, following a £190 million investment announced earlier this year in its chocolate factory in Slough and a £1.2 million upgrade to its pet nutrition research and development hub in Birstall.

A 75-year-old factory

Melton Mowbray has been part of the Mars business for 75 years and is the birthplace of the Whiskas and Pedigree brands. The site employs about 200 people and has the capacity to produce more than one million pouches of pet food a day, with 95% of its output supplied to British households and the rest exported to European markets.

Sharon Ross, plant manager at Mars Melton Mowbray, said the investment was a profound vote of confidence in the site, its workforce and the wider community. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the plans would bring jobs, apprenticeships and opportunities to local communities in the East Midlands.

What it means for jobseekers

Mars has not published the exact job titles or start dates for the new roles, so anyone interested should check the company's careers site for live vacancies rather than relying on a single announcement. The apprenticeship expansion is part of a wider programme: across its UK business, Mars employs more than 140 apprentices, backed by a curriculum covering artificial intelligence, digital systems and data analytics, and says 97% of apprentices are offered a permanent role when they finish training.

The Melton Mowbray announcement comes as manufacturers across the UK compete for engineering and technical skills, and the new posts are aimed at people who can work with modern, automated production lines. Mars lists its UK vacancies and apprenticeship openings on its official careers website, and no fee is charged to apply.

How to apply

Vacancies for the Melton Mowbray site and other Mars UK sites are advertised on the Mars careers site. Applicants should read the individual listing for the role they want, including its location, hours and closing date, and apply through the official route shown there. Anyone asked to pay for a job offer or an application should treat that as a warning sign and check the listing on the employer's own site.

Sources: Mars, Melton Borough Council and BM Magazine.