Scottish council concerned over Chivas relocation

A Scottish council leader has written to first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, expressing concern over Chivas Brothers’ plans to transfer operations from Paisley to Kilmalid.

Renfrewshire Council leader Mark Macmillan has raised concerns over Chivas’ plans to relocate

Mark Macmillan, the leader of Renfrewshire Council in the Scottish Lowlands, has raised his concerns over the proposed transfer which will see more than 450 employees move to a new £40 million bottling plant.

The new plant – which will be erected at the firm’s existing Kilmalid site – will include is scheduled for completion in 2019.

“Given how well-established Chivas Brothers is within Paisley it is incredibly disappointing that they intend to move work from the town and that no-one from the company made us aware of their plans,” said Macmillan.

“We will be doing all we can to help and support the workforce, and I’m calling for an urgent meeting with the company and the unions to ensure staff get any assistance they need.

“I’m also appealing to the first minister to use her influence to help minimise the impact on Paisley and the wider area.”

Chivas Brothers has been in Paisley since 1957, when first began developing the bottling plant.

Laurent Lacassagne, chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers, said: “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.”

“We’re committed to working alongside local partners to secure a favourable future for both our Paisley and Kilmalid sites and we are already having discussions on how we can work collaboratively in the future.

“We want to invest in Scotland and our business by building state-of–the-art facilities, the result of which will be job security and opportunities for employees as we develop.”