Chivas invests £40m in bottling facility

Chivas Brothers is to open a new £40 million bottling plant at its Kilmalid site in Scotland, at the same time announcing that its Paisley-based operations will close in three years.

Chivas Brothers’ Kilmalid site

The plant, which will include a bottling hall and office complex, is expected to provide a “more integrated and engaging environment for all Chivas Brothers employees”.

It is scheduled for completion in 2019, when Chivas’s Paisley operations will transfer to the new Kilmalid site. The transfer will start in 2018 and is scheduled for completion in 2019.

Chivas said all of its employees based in Paisley will move to Kilmalid. This restructuring of the group’s bottling operations comes after an “extensive review of the company’s current operations”.

“Our proposal is the next step towards achieving our leadership ambition and is a clear signal that we see a strong future ahead for both the industry and our business,” said Laurent Lacassagne, chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers, maker of The Glenlivet and Ballantine’s Scotch brands.

“This £40 million investment will enhance and improve our operations and support the development of our global and iconic brands.

“This is a project of significant size and scale for Chivas Brothers which is why which we are announcing our proposal three years in advance. We want to provide ample opportunity to manage the transition of our business effectively and for our employees to adjust and adapt to working from a new site.

“The company is at the beginning of a three year process and aims to start the transfer of operations and activities from Paisley to Kilmalid from 2018, creating an integrated operation by the end of 2019.”