Production has officially ended at Kellogg’s factory in Trafford Park, Greater Manchester, bringing to a close almost 90 years of history at the site and resulting in the loss of around 360 jobs. Manufacturing is being moved to the company’s site in Wrexham, north Wales instead.
A spokesperson for owners Kellanova described the Trafford Park site as having been a crucial part of the company’s success for decades, thanking everyone who worked there, along with the suppliers, partners and wider local community who supported operations over the years.
The decision to move production to Wrexham was originally announced back in 2024, with the company saying the investment needed to keep the Trafford Park factory running simply wasn’t viable long term. The announcement came following three months of talks between the company, unions, and employee representatives.
What this means for workers on site
A representative from retail union Usdaw described it as a truly “sad time,” after working closely to try to secure the best possible outcome for union members affected by the closure. He specifically praised the strong team of union representatives who worked on the factory floor at Trafford Park over the years.
The union worked to secure an enhanced redundancy package for affected staff, along with relocation payments available to anyone who chose to move to the new Wrexham site instead of leaving the company entirely.
A significant piece of manufacturing history comes to an end
Marking the final week of production, a company spokesperson confirmed that operations across both production and packing had officially come to an end, describing it as a major milestone. Throughout the transition, the company said its priority has been supporting colleagues and the wider local community through this period of change.
Kellogg’s itself is an American company, founded in Michigan back in 1906, and began exporting products to the UK in 1922. When it was originally built in 1938, the Trafford Park factory was one of the largest cereal manufacturing facilities anywhere in Europe.
Why the old factory layout no longer made sense
According to the company, the Trafford Park site was originally designed in a way that made perfect sense back in the 1930s, with food travelling up and down across six separate floors as part of a legacy manufacturing process that’s since become considerably outdated.
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At its peak, the factory produced around a million boxes of breakfast cereal every single day, including household favourites like Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and Coco Pops. The company said roughly half of the available space inside the building had gone unused in more recent years, and redeveloping the site to modern standards would have cost far more than it was worth.
What happens to the site and remaining staff going forward
The Trafford Park site itself will stay open until the end of the year. Kellanova has said it plans to work with local partners to properly recognise and celebrate the site’s long history, and will continue marking key milestones over the coming months as the closure process wraps up.
The company still maintains a big presence across the North West more broadly, with around 500 jobs remaining at its UK head office based at Media City in Salford, alongside further roles at a distribution centre in St Helens.
