Ferrero is investing in production facilities in France to support the confectionery and spreads giant’s Nutella brand.
The capital injection of €60m ($69.7m) will be split equally across Ferrero’s plant in Villers-Écalles in Normandy and a site further north in Nieppe that is part of an “affiliate”, Biscuits Delacre.
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The Nieppe site will receive €30m for a dedicated production line for the new Nutella Cookies.
In a statement, the company said the factory will be the European production hub for Nutella Cookies, which are due for a September release in France. The site will make the biscuits for unnamed “multiple” markets in Europe, Ferrero told Just Food.
Additionally, €15m will be allocated toward “site modernisation and environmental transformation” at the Villers-Écalles factory.
The plant, described as the “world’s leading” Nutella production site, accounts for roughly 26% of the brand’s global output.
The remaining €15m will support the development of a new packaging line for Nutella packed in 3kg containers.
“At this stage, the projects are expected to consolidate existing jobs and sustain industrial activity in both regions, while focusing on strengthening industrial capabilities and ramping up the new production line,” Ferrero told Just Food.
Mauro de Felip, the managing director of Ferrero’s France division, said in a statement: “France has held a central place in Ferrero’s industrial and logistics strategy in Europe for many years.”
Ferrero has a workforce of approximately 1,400 in France with another 200 at Biscuits Delacre.
The private investment vehicle of Ferrero executive chairman Giovanni Ferrero acquired Biscuits Delacre in 2016.
The announcement follows Ferrero’s investment in US manufacturing for Nutella production.
The Italian food giant said the Nutella Peanut spread facility in Franklin Park in Illinois would get a $75m investment for the project.
Meanwhile, in May, Ferrero announced the upcoming launch of Wonka-branded products as part of a broader partnership with Netflix. The owner of Kinder and Ferrero Rocher said it will roll out ten seasonal and limited-edition Wonka products in the US and in European markets, including the UK, France, Italy and Germany.
