King's Lynn Mars Food UK factory named as fifth best place to work in the UK

Lynn-based Mars UK has just been named the fifth best place to work in the UK – up three places in a list of rankings from last year.

The firm based at Hansa Road, Hardwick Industrial Estate, earned its position in the 'large company' category of the list compiled by Great Place to Work, a consultancy specialising in workplace culture.

Mars is one of the largest, private family-owned businesses in the world and has been based in the UK for over 85 years. It employs more than 200 people at its Lynn site, the UK factory location of its food business, Mars Food UK. At this site, Mars produces well-known dinner time brands, including Dolmio and Uncle Ben’s.

This year is the fourth Mars has been included in the large company category winners.

The Great Place to Work Institute cited the focus that Mars puts on developing its "associates", the term Mars uses for its employees, giving them the freedom and support to shape their careers and thrive in a collaborative and inclusive culture.

John Newman, plant director, at the Mars Food UK factory, said: “It’s fantastic that we’ve once again been recognised as one of the best places to work in the UK. I’ve worked at Mars for 20 years and during that time it’s been easy to see why so many people choose to stay here for so long.

"This year we announced that we are making permanent a new apprenticeship scheme that we piloted in 2018, broadening the opportunities for young people to work as apprentices in our business.

"I think that our apprenticeships are a great example of why Mars is a great place to work – offering first class training to ambitious young men and women, in top notch facilities, making some of the nation’s most loved products.”

As well as the Lynn site, Mars is based across 11 sites in the UK, including Plymouth, Melton Mowbray, Waltham and Slough.

Great Place to Work UK helps organisations to create exceptional, high performing workplaces where employees feel trusted and valued. It helps employers improve recruitment, retention, productivity and profitability by putting employees at the heart of the organisation.