Diamond Foods, the US snack maker, has announced today (1 February) that it is investing US$10m in expanding a Kettle Chips facility in the UK to meet increased demand.

The expansion, at the firm’s Norwich facility, will include new packaging lines and an increase in multi-packing capability. Diamond said the brand had performed “well” during the Christmas period, with sales up 13% for the 12 weeks to 25 December.

“We are continuing to drive strong growth in a tough marketplace and see a lot of opportunity to sustain this trend,” Jeremy Bradley, managing director for Kettle Foods Europe said. “It’s a credit to the work of the Norwich team that Diamond is making this investment, which supports our plans for growth and will create a number of new jobs for the region.”

In November, Diamond invested $38m in expanding a Kettle Chips facility in Beloit, Wisconsin.