Ayrshire factory bottling WKD to close after 28 years in business

A factory in Ayrshire bottling WKD has announced it is set to close after 28 years in business.

Caledonian Bottlers, in Cumnock Business Park, will stop production of the popular party drink at the end of the year.

The firm, part of SHS Group, revealed they told staff at the site they would be made redundant.

Bosses said they took the decision due to rising price costs, with a “significant level of investment” required to continue production.

Along with WKD, the firm is also responsible for the production of Merrydown Cider, Shloer and Bottlegreen.

A spokesperson for SHS Drinks said: “Earlier this year a review of infrastructure highlighted the significant level of investment required to keep the Caledonian Bottlers site fully operational. Regrettably, the cost was prohibitive.

“An organisational change consultation was subsequently undertaken to explore options to deliver long-term supply chain security.

“The consultation process has ended, and the extremely difficult decision has been made to relocate operations to a third-party provider. As a result, production at the Caledonian Bottlers site will finish at the end of the year. “

The firm paid tribute to staff and have offered to provide support as they go through the redundancy process.

A spokesperson added: “The team at Caledonian Bottlers was informed of the consultation outcome on Friday, October 14. The commitment and experience of all the staff at Caledonian Bottlers has been evident throughout the last 28 years.

“We are incredibly proud of the team – for their continued commitment to serving our customers and the resilience they have shown during this unprecedented time.

“We recognise that this is a very difficult time for all Caledonian Bottlers employees, and we are providing a range of support measures in terms of training, guidance and advice during the associated redundancy process.”