Hilton processing plant produces 500 new jobs

Meat processing company Hilton Food Group has announced that it plans to develop a new processing and distribution centre in Brisbane.

Located at the Logos Heathwood Logistics Estate, the 45,000 m² facility will begin construction in early 2019. With an investment of up to $115 million, Hilton has an initial 15-year lease on the building and the development marks the second stage of the estate. The company plans to service the needs of Woolworths stores in Queensland and Northern NSW by supplying them with a range of beef, lamb, pork and added-value products starting in January 2020.

This is not the first project developed under a partnership between Hilton and Woolworths. Previous collaborations include their processing facility in Bunbury in 2012 and the $150 million facility near Melbourne in 2015. These two factories are responsible for about one-third of Woolworths’ meat supplies, and this is set to grow with the Brisbane facility.

“Combined with Asahi Beverages’ facility, currently under construction, and future development of the residual site, the estate will be a super, prime logistics estate worth over $400 million. Our commitment to building large-scale logistics estates across Australia’s capital cities ensures our customers are provided with high-quality amenity on major road infrastructure,” stated Trent Iliffe, joint managing director for Logos.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk suggested the increase in commercial businesses in Brisbane would open up significantly more job opportunities and benefit the economy.

“This project is a significant win for Brisbane, representing $850 million in economic impact and the creation of 500 new jobs,” he said. “We welcome this investment as another step in the Brisbane 2022 New World City Action Plan, which identifies food and agribusiness as a key growth sector as we continue to build our city’s profile in the Asia–Pacific region.”