Hilton to expand New Zealand packing plant
The business will build a new meat processing facility in Auckland and supply New Zealand retailer Progressive Enterprises Ltd, trading as Countdown Supermarkets.
Given that Progressive Enterprises is part of Woolworths Ltd, the relationship between Hilton and the retailer has strengthened.
The development will take place as an extension of the existing site, and is subject to government approvals and the negotiation and finalisation of construction and tenure agreements.
It has been proposed that Hilton's newly formed subsidiary, Hilton Foods New Zealand, will finance the new food packing facility, with commencement of production targeted for 2020.
The new facility will be capable of supplying Progressive stores in New Zealand with a range of beef, lamb, pork, chicken and added-value products, and it is expected that Hilton's investment in plant and equipment will be approximately NZ $ 54m.
Last month, Hilton announced plans to build a new processing and distribution centre in Brisbane, Australia which is expected to be fully operational by January 2020.
In its half year results, Hilton’s volume sales grew by 8.7% while turnover grew to £690.7m, an increase of 9.3%.