PepsiCo has announced a major recruitment drive for Walkers as part of a £15.2m investment in its manufacturing site in Leicester.

The group is looking to hire 110 new staff in Leicester to join its team at the Bursom and Leycroft Road sites to help support the introduction of a new production line for kettle-fried crisp varieties Red Sky and Extra Crunchy.

PepsiCo will be taking applications through its website until 4 May for a number of different positions with varying levels of experience. They include 80 general operatives, 20 general support operatives and 10 manufacturing technicians.

The Walkers site was first established in Leicester in 1982 in the Beaumont Leys area of the city and today employs over 2,000 people. A number of long-serving members of staff are reaching retirement this year and PepsiCo said it was now looking to both fill these vacancies while creating new roles as the site expands. It has taken on more than 300 people in Leicester in the past year alone to boost the production team.

“We have an impressive track record of people working at the site over many decades – in fact, some of our most recently retired colleagues have racked up a phenomenal 800 years of collective service,” said PepsCo manufacturing manager Rebecca Ransford.

PepsiCo has already invested £14.4m and £9.3m in its Quaker Oats site at Cupar, Scotland and distribution site in Peterlee, respectively this year.