MARS REINFORCES COMMITMENT TO EUROPEAN MANUFACTURING WITH £190 MILLION INVESTMENT IN HISTORIC UK CHOCOLATE FACTORY
- Mars, Incorporated continues its commitment to Europe, building on its plan to invest €1 billion across the EU, with a new £190 million investment in its historic Slough factory
- The investment expands advanced manufacturing, digital capabilities, and workforce upskilling, transforming the site into a next-generation manufacturing hub
- The Slough factory produces iconic brands like MARS®, Galaxy® and SNICKERS® for the UK and exports to European markets, including Ireland and the Netherlands
BRUSSELS, May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Mars, Incorporated, the family-owned business behind brands including M&M's®, Ben's Original™, EXTRA®, SNICKERS®, PEDIGREE® and WHISKAS®, today reiterated its commitment to sustained investment and innovation in Europe. This follows the company's announcement in September 2025 to invest €1 billion across the EU, with the latest example being a major £190 million investment between 2023-2028 to transform its historic Slough factory into a next-generation manufacturing hub.
The Slough factory, the birthplace of the iconic Mars Bar in 1932, is a vital hub in the company's European network. In addition to serving the UK market, the factory is a key exporter to the EU. In 2025 alone, the site exported over 2.7 million kilograms of chocolate to Ireland and over 12.3 million kilograms to the Netherlands, demonstrating the interconnectedness of Mars's European operations.
The £190 million investment will introduce state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities, combining robotics and AI with upgraded machinery, as well as advanced cooling systems and energy-efficient utilities to improve performance and sustainability across the site. Mars will deploy digital twin technology to the Slough factory, using AI-driven data to optimise production, ensure consistency, and reduce waste. The investment will also support extensive workforce upskilling, creating new routes into advanced engineering, automation, and data-enabled manufacturing roles and ensuring Associates have the skills needed for the future of manufacturing.
Adam Grant, General Manager Mars Snacking UKI, said: "This investment reflects our confidence in the UK as a hub to manufacture and innovate. In taking a long-term view, we are ensuring our operations remain world-class, competitive and fit for the future.
"Our Slough factory is deeply rooted in our heritage, and as a proud family-owned business, we are committed to investing in a future that creates lasting, positive impact for the communities where we operate."
The UK's Business and Trade Secretary, Peter Kyle, commented: "This £190 million investment by Mars is a strong vote of confidence in the UK as a place to manufacture and innovate. For nearly a century, the Slough factory has produced some of the world's best-loved brands, and this investment shows global businesses continuing to back British skills, workers and industry."
This latest investment in the UK is part of Mars, Incorporated's broader strategy to strengthen its manufacturing and innovation footprint across Europe. With more than 90 years in Europe, Mars operates 24 factories across 10 EU countries, employing 25,700 people and exporting to over 100 markets – making the region central to its global success.
Other European markets are also seeing continued investment.
- In France, Mars has invested nearly €500 million over the past five years across its eight factories to modernise production and accelerate the environmental transition. This includes renewing an ice cream production line at Steinbourg — home to Mars' only European ice cream factory — and expanding the M&M's excellence hub in Haguenau, the largest M&M's factory in Europe, with both sites exporting over 70% of their output.
- In the Netherlands, Mars continues to invest between €28–30 million annually in its Veghel factory. In 2026, this includes an €18 million investment in a new milk plant and €16 million in new conches, further strengthening the site's role as a key chocolate production hub in Europe.
- In Poland, Mars is investing approximately €250 million between 2023–2027 into its Janaszówek chocolate factory. The investment will introduce state-of-the-art automation and increase site capacity by 63%, positioning the factory as a central driver of Mars' growth ambitions in the region.
On a global scale, Mars, Incorporated's long-term manufacturing strategy is focused on building modern, resilient, and innovative production capabilities. This includes the previously announced plan to invest €1 billion across the EU and a further $2 billion in manufacturing in the US through 2026. This strategy is further supported by Mars, Incorporated's recent acquisition of Kellanova, bringing together two iconic portfolios to accelerate growth and innovation across its snacking business.
Notes to editors
The investment forms part of Mars, Incorporated's broader commitment to strengthening its UK manufacturing, innovation footprint and network of 10,000 Associates. This includes, in 2023, a major £350 million investment in the DHL Gateway in London, removing more than one million miles a year from UK roads, and the transformation of its Birstall Research & Development, where Mars had invested £1.2 million into the site's state-of-the-art Innovation Hub, supporting the development of leading pet care products such as PEDIGREE® Dentastix™ and JUMBONE™.
On a global scale, Mars, Incorporated's long-term manufacturing strategy is focused on building modern, resilient and innovative production capabilities. This includes plans to invest €1 billion across the EU, and a further $2 billion in manufacturing in the US across 2026. This strategy is further supported by Mars, Incorporated's recent acquisition of Kellanova, bringing together two iconic portfolios to accelerate growth and innovation across its snacking business.
ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a $65bn+ family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight millions of people every day. We produce some of the world's best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, Pringles®, Cheez-It®, and BEN'S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles — Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom — inspire our more than 170,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.
For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
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SOURCE Mars
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