After World War I, with a headquarters established in Hayes, London, Heinz started exporting baked beans, canned spaghetti and tomato ketchup to the United Kingdom.

[6] Heinz LTD grew sixfold between 1945 and 1956, and due to this increased demand it needed a new large manufacturing plant in the UK.

[4] Needing a new consolidated factory outside London, the site in Northwest England was chosen due to its ease of access to the agricultural industry, high-quality water supply, highly skilled local workforce and good transportation links.

The site had good rail and road connections to the Atlantic Ocean (Liverpool Docks) and Europe via the North Sea, which allow for easy and low-cost access to both raw products and the export of manufactured processed food.

[9] The factory celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009, with a visit by HM Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh who also opened a new packaging hall.

[11][13] In January 2021, Kraft Heinz began running trials moving goods by freight trains to their Wigan distribution centre.