The cutting-edge Cuisine Centre is slated to launch in late 2026 at the SmartParc SEGRO Derby, a £300 million redevelopment project covering 155 acres of brownfield land dedicated to food manufacturing and distribution.
Compass stated that this investment marks a “major milestone” in their effort to revolutionize large-scale food production.
As outlined by Compass, the new facility will cater to both public and private sectors, featuring enhanced capacity, modern production techniques, and improved sustainability attributes.
The center will facilitate centralized production and offer versatile meal formats, including multi-portion and plated options. According to the company, this factory will streamline operations by reducing preparation times, minimizing energy consumption, and cutting food waste for catering teams.
The Cuisine Centre is set to create five specialized ranges, all made fresh on-site to cater to distinct dietary needs: Moreish, Medley, Nurture, Steamplicity, and Esteem.
These ranges will encompass over 200 menu items, spanning main courses, sides, and desserts, and will be developed through collaboration between chefs and dietitians.
Additionally, the Cuisine Centre intends to seek opportunities for local sourcing and to promote British food products.
“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,” commented Charles Brown, Interim CEO of Compass Group UK & Ireland.
Brown further emphasized, “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 remarked, “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 modernize how they produce food.”
The Cuisine Centre is poised to significantly contribute to Compass Group UK & Ireland’s goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
