Pictured above (left to right): Grant McKenzie, Managing Director Nestlé Waters UK; Robert Largan MP for High Peak; Councillor Anthony McKeown, Lead Councillor of High Peak Borough Council; Councillor Ollie Cross, The Mayor of High Peak; High Sheriff Michael Copestake, High Sheriff of Derbyshire; Stefano Agostini, CEO Nestlé UK&I and Jez McInerney, Factory Manager Buxton, Nestlé Waters UK.
Nestlé Waters new distribution centre in Buxton has been officially opened by Stefano Agostini, CEO Nestlé UK & Ireland. The site at Waterswallows, and home of Buxton Natural Mineral Water, received £31m investment to expand the storage facility and transform the operation on site.
On 18th October, guests from the local community including Councillor Ollie Cross, The Mayor of High Peak, High Sheriff of Derbyshire Michael Copestake and Robert Largan MP, were invited to celebrate the occasion, enjoying an afternoon which included tours of the bottling lines and new automated distribution centre, along with meeting members of the Nestlé team involved in the transformation project.
Construction at the site located on the outskirts of Buxton at Waterswallows, began in 2019 to extend the factory’s warehouse facility and create a new state-of-the-art logistics operation, bringing the distribution of brands Buxton and Nestlé Pure Life fully in-house. The new 14,000m2 extension has also brought additional storage capacity allowing all products to be stored centrally including international brands S.Pellegrino and Perrier, reducing the use of external storage, cutting road miles and transport emissions annually by around 480 tonnes.
With its increased storage capacity and scale, the site has introduced new technology and innovated its warehousing design, bringing in new Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), which are capable of moving pallets of finished goods around with no driver on board. This new technology has improved operational efficiencies and safety and at the same time, has created the opportunity to upskill local employees with new roles and responsibilities in managing the automated guided vehicle system.
Stefano Agostini, CEO Nestlé UK & Ireland, said: “I am very pleased to have celebrated the opening of the Waters distribution centre with members and partners from the local community of Buxton, the heart of our UK Waters business. Investments on this scale rely upon sustained confidence, which comes from having the right business environment to operate in, the right people to work with, and the right products to offer consumers.
“The state-of-the-art operation we have opened is the result of strategic investment and effective project delivery by all involved. We hope for continued collaboration locally to help our business progress on its sustainable, regenerative path whilst delivering innovation, inclusive jobs and growth.”
Robert Largan MP for High Peak said: “It was great to attend the opening of the new Buxton Water distribution facility. Buxton Water is a major local employer providing hundreds of highly skilled jobs and I welcome their continued commitment and investment to their famous Buxton site.
“This is further proof, if any was needed, that Buxton is a fantastic place to do business.”
Grant McKenzie, Managing Director for Nestlé Waters UK, said: “To support the continued growth of our brands including Buxton Natural Mineral Water and Nestlé Pure Life, we have invested in our operations in a careful and sustainable way for the future. Water is one of the healthiest, natural ways to hydrate and with more and more people choosing to enjoy natural source waters for hydration, this investment demonstrates our long-term commitment to the Buxton community. Furthermore, the investment shines a spotlight on our sustainable operational improvements, another step on our journey to reaching net zero by 2050.”
The site in Buxton was the first manufacturing site in the UK to achieve the prestigious Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard certification with platinum status in 2021 – the highest certification level awarded for responsible water stewardship. This care for the environment has continued with some of the investment going into the design and creation of a new nature reserve around the perimeter. The reserve has more than 200 trees, extensive wildflower planting and a variety of new habitats built, to encourage wildlife and increase biodiversity in this area. An area which has otherwise been rich in grazing and pastureland, yet low in habitats for wildlife to thrive.
This package of investment has brought change right across the 200 employee strong operation, in order to service the network of UK customers directly from the Buxton site. At the same time as creating new opportunities for growth in a sustainable way into the future. The work was completed in the summer of 2021 and the opening which was originally planned for Autumn 2021 had to be delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time.
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Notes to editors
Video Link: Buxton Warehouse
About Buxton
Buxton is the largest British natural mineral water brand with all its bottles made entirely of recycled plastic, excluding caps and labels. Since 2013, Buxton has removed 11,960 tonnes of PET plastic from its bottles, now producing its lightest ever bottles containing as little plastic as possible, whilst maintaining the durability and safety consumers expect from Buxton.
The Waterswallows site in Buxton opened in 2013, was designed with sustainability in mind. The site features a heat recovery system, sends zero waste to landfill and 100% of the site’s grid supplied electricity is renewable.
The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard is the international accredited standard for measuring responsible water stewardship across social, cultural, environmental, and economic criteria. A platinum rating is the highest level of certification available.
In Buxton, Nestlé Waters UK is working with partners to implement natural flood management systems that will help protect the town and local community from flooding, as part of its efforts to manage water sustainably and support local, regenerative water solutions.
Joint work with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is ongoing in a long-term partnership at the former Lightwood Reservoir site and former Cowdale quarry site to protect the natural environment and regenerate over 180 acres, caring for biodiversity in building the resilience of nature for the future.
About Nestlé Waters
Nestlé Waters is the water division of the Nestlé Group and the leading bottled water company worldwide. We operate in 26 countries with 49 production facilities and more than 21,000 employees. We are present in most distribution channels and consequently offer a large portfolio of 39 unique brands. In the UK these include our local brands, Buxton Natural Mineral Water, Nestlé Pure Life and Princes Gate, as well as our international water brands S.Pellegrino, SanPellegrino, Acqua Panna and Perrier.
Contact Information
For any enquiries on this release, please contact the Nestlé UK&I Press Office on: [email protected] Tel: 020 8667 6005.
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