Unilever confirms it plans to close its Warrington factory

The company announced in January that it was ‘undertaking a review of its future’ at the Crosfields site, where it manufactures its Persil and Surf washing powders.

And it has been confirmed today, Tuesday, that the historic factory will be closing after more than 130 years - subject to further consultations.

Unilever says ‘it will do everything it can to support the 123 employees at the site in the coming weeks and months’.

No date has yet been given for when the plant will potentially shut, although all staff are expected to have left their roles by the end of the year.

Jon Strachan, vice president of supply chain for Unilever in the UK and Ireland, said: “Following the review we have, unfortunately, been unable to identify any commercially sustainable solutions for the site.

“Therefore, with regret, we are now proposing to close the factory – we know that this news will be difficult for our employees and the broader community, and we are firmly committed to supporting them in every way that we can, should the proposals go ahead.

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“Unilever has a number of factories in the UK and here in the north west, so we will discuss any redeployment and reskilling opportunities for our affected employees as part of consultation.

“We would like to take the opportunity to thank all of those who were involved for their passion and their commitment to the review.”

Unilever has blamed the factory’s planned closure on a ‘sustained and irreversible decline in demand’ for washing powder, with customers increasingly using liquids and capsules for their laundry.

Sales have fallen by 15 per cent over the past few years, with the Bank Quay site – which is shared with PQ Corporation – now running at less than half of its full capacity.

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It also intends to move most of its production of laundry powders to a manufacturing partner in Europe, with smaller volumes set to be moved to its other factories.

Unilever says it ‘evaluated different options’ before deciding to close the plant, including moving manufacturing from other factories to the Warrington site or selling the plant.

The GMB union has described the move as a 'hammer blow for the town'.

National officer Eamon O’Hearn added: "The closure of Unilever Warrington is hammer blow for the town – for the people who work there, their families and the whole community.

“First it was the loss of Colman's and now the first Unilever site, which has been an iconic part of the UK’s manufacturing history for 136 years - and to see it tossed aside by the company is heart-breaking.

"Unilever happily exploits its historical legacy, but for its UK manufacturing workforce that is increasingly ringing hollow.

“GMB will now demand proper compensation and support for the 123 people who have lost their livelihoods.”

Lever Brothers was founded in Warrington 136 years ago, first opening for business in 1885.

But the town’s soap-making history dates as far back as the 1750s through firms such as Joseph Crosfield and Sons, which opened a small works at Bank Quay in 1814.

A Surf production line at Crosfields

The site rapidly grew over the next century, with the upstart Lever Brothers eventually buying out its neighbours in 1919.