Protein Works to relocate to new purpose-built HQ in £10m investment

Cheshire-based consumer food business, Protein Works, is investing £10m in relocating from its Runcorn HQ to a state-of-the-art campus in South Liverpool.

The firm, which posted record revenues of £42.8m in May this year, will consolidate its food manufacturing, global logistics, digital marketing, and technology operations into one 100,000 sq ft purpose-built campus capable of scaling past £100m.

The innovator of nutrition-packed shakes, meals, and snacks, is relocating to the “P.Works Campus,” at Speke 100, on Speke Boulevard.

The move sees Protein Works consolidate multiple sites into one campus capable of housing all parts of its business model.

From a cutting-edge food manufacturing facility and global fulfilment centre to its technology and digital marketing platforms, the move will provide the business with the capability to handle current growth levels, along with the headroom to continue to scale at pace.

Speke 100 site

The announcement follows a record year of growth for Protein Works, which saw a c.40% increase in year-on-year turnover, along with delivering record levels of profits. The business has more than two million customers and has sold in excess of 300 million shakes worldwide since its launch in 2012, and is geared for growth.

Protein Works CEO, Laura Keir, believes the move will cement Protein Works as one of the most exciting brands in the functional food space.

She said: “Our teams, our people, we’re all incredibly proud and excited about this announcement. It’s a milestone in our growth journey and quite literally puts Protein Works on the map as one of the UK’s most ambitious functional food brands.

“We see the move as a blueprint for expansion, as we future-proof the business’s physical capabilities for many years to come.”

She added: “Our growth in recent years has been a testament to our team, and being based in the North West is a key part of Protein Works’ DNA, so we felt it was important to have that continuity, whilst also driving the business forward.

“The new location allows us to do all that. When you’re a fully integrated enterprise that combines product development, food manufacturing, marketing and technology into one business, it’s important that different parts of the business can collaborate at pace. Being together on one campus creates those synergies.”

The new P.Works Campus brings together five separate locations in the North West into one purpose-built site.

Investing more than £2m in the latest powder blending technology and research labs, the brand has the platform to produce its products more efficiently than ever. With a strong commitment to ESG, the business’s investment into this new operation also enables it to cut its food waste in half over the coming year.

Director of Product Strategy & Innovation, Kyle Crowley, said: “We delivered over three million units to our customers last year, and we’re set to double that number over the next three-four years. Product innovation is a key commercial lever in our growth plans.”

The P.Works Campus will also house a newly invested global logistics centre, capable of despatching millions of units around the world each year.

Protein Works Speke 100 site

With double the storage capacity and advances in logistic capabilities, the facility is primed to support the high growth of the brand’s e-commerce channel, which serves a growing customer base and loyal community.

Chief Supply Chain Officer, Stuart Barber, said: “The thinking behind the final execution for our logistics centre is the most detailed and data-centric I’ve ever seen. If there’s a way to enable our incredible fulfilment teams to deliver even a one per cent improvement in efficiency, we’ll find it, our BI teams will substantiate it and our people will deliver it.”

David Bell, Head of Portfolio at YFM Equity Partners, the company backing Protein Works, said: “This is an exciting investment for a brand making huge strides in its industry.

“Protein Works’ team has taken the business from strength to strength in our five years with them, growing revenues close to £50m and doubling its EBITDA YoY. That type of performance has allowed the business to self-fund this move and secure its future in the exciting and growing market of functional foods.”

Jon Thorne, director at property manager B8RE, said: “Securing this pre-let to a high-calibre occupier during the construction phase underlines the strength of the offer at Speke 100 both in terms of location, size and quality of the build.

“Despite the challenging economic conditions, it’s very encouraging to see businesses like The Protein Works expand, creating significant opportunities and reinforcing Speke’s reputation as a hub for industrial innovation.”