Unilever unveils plans for £80m Wirral fragrance factory

The global conglomerate has chosen to build the facility at Port Sunlight to focus on the development of digital technologies and attracting and retaining industry talent.

A fragrance research and innovation lab, a compounding facility for product development, and evaluation sites where performance and preference are tested will all be built at the site.

The use of AI, robotics, real-time data capture, and analytics will require the £80m factory to be effectively digitally enabled across the whole site.

Fragrance is critical for Unilever’s products, including moisturisers, body washes, creams, and laundry detergents.

Richard Slater, chief R&D officer at Unilever, said: “The investment includes a new state-of-the-art facility in Port Sunlight, which further expands our leading-edge R&D capabilities in the UK and drives our ambitious plans to build expertise, partnerships and innovation at scale.

“Our new fragrance facility and expert perfumers will enable us to bring fragrance insight and innovation to our brands at speed and, working with our partners, to reinvent how fragrances are created for consumer products, leveraging cutting-edge science along with AI and robotics.”

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Baroness Poppy Gustafsson, minister for investment, added: “The UK is a top investment destination and Unilever’s major plan is the latest vote of confidence in our economy, which will boost the UK’s thriving R&D sector, supporting our Plan for Change.

“With digital and technologies being identified as a key growth sector in our upcoming Industrial Strategy, we’re not only helping to attract and secure investment, but delivering long-term growth that supports skilled jobs and raises living standards across the UK.”

The investment forms part of Unilever’s £300m, two-year investment plan in the UK, with Liverpool also benefiting from the company’s Advanced Manufacturing Centre and the Materials Innovation Factory, both built in collaboration with the University of Liverpool.