The new 10,000 sq m Cuisine Centre will reportedly produce more than 70 million meals a year across the public and private sector.

The facility will be located at SmartParc SEGRO Derby, a £300 million investment to create a 155‑acre regenerated brownfield food manufacturing and distribution site.

The facility will look to provide increased capacity, modern production capabilities and enhanced sustainability credentials. An on‑site energy centre will recycle waste heat with the aim to reduce energy consumption while the first tranche of solar generation will supply c.20% of the facility’s power.

Five specialist ranges will be made on site: Moreish, Medley, Nurture, Steamplicity and Esteem. Alongside its established supplier network, the new Cuisine Centre will aim to explore opportunities to increase regional sourcing as part of the facility’s opening, promoting community engagement and championing British food.

Centralised production and flexible meal formats, such as multiportion or plated, aim to improve operational efficiency, reducing preparation time, energy usage and food waste for catering teams.

Facility to give businesses the “space and flexibility” to modernise food production

Charles Brown, interim CEO of Compass Group UK & Ireland, said: “The new Cuisine Centre is a significant step forward for our business, allowing us to scale up our existing operations through a larger, more advanced facility. The scale and capability of the new facility brings more production in-house, strengthening supply continuity, delivering greater supply chain resilience, and enhancing our ability to deliver high quality, nutritious meals produced responsibly and at scale.

“We are a large and diverse business that has the dexterity to meet specific market demands within the sectors we operate. This facility meets a specific need case, for delivering consistent, quality, nutritious meals in a safe and controlled environment, reducing allergen risks, as well as giving time back to kitchen teams.”

Jackie Wild, of SmartParc SEGRO Derby, said: “Compass Group’s new Cuisine Centre is exactly the kind of investment SmartParc SEGRO Derby was designed to support. The development brings advanced food production, shared infrastructure and lower-carbon operational benefits together on a regenerated brownfield site, giving businesses the space and flexibility to modernise how they produce food. We look forward to seeing the facility become an important part of Compass Group’s future production network and of Derby’s growing food manufacturing sector.”