A Victorian butcher's shop on Leicester's High Street would become the foundation of Britain's most recognisable snack brand. The transformation of Walkers from a small family butcher to the world's largest crisp manufacturer is a story of wartime ingenuity, postwar adaptation, and industrial ambition rooted firmly in Leicester soil.
The Butcher of High Street
Henry James Walker arrived in Leicester from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire in the 1880s, taking over an established butcher's shop on the city's High Street. Trading as Walkers & Sons, the family built a respectable business serving Leicester residents for more than half a century. The premises remained a butcher shop through two world wars, with the Walker family establishing themselves as part of the city's commercial fabric.
Meat rationing in the years following the Second World War, however, threatened the viability of the business. Factory output dropped dramatically as supplies dwindled. In 1948, managing director R.E. Gerrard faced a choice: adapt or close.
The 1948 Pivot to Crisps
Potato crisps were gaining popularity with British consumers in the late 1940s. Gerrard shifted the company's focus, and Walkers & Sons began hand-slicing and frying potatoes in the same Leicester premises that had once prepared cuts of meat. The first crisps were sprinkled with salt and sold for threepence a bag, bearing the slogan "Potato Crisps by Walkers: Guaranteed Absolutely Pure."
What began as a survival strategy became the foundation of an empire. The company invested in mechanisation as demand grew, expanding beyond its Leicester base to supply retailers across the Midlands and eventually nationwide.
Leicester's Industrial Giant
In 1982, Walkers opened what remains the largest crisp production facility in the world in Leicester. The factory produces more than 10 million bags of crisps each day, processing approximately 800 tonnes of potatoes daily. From raw potato to finished bag, the production process takes roughly 35 minutes.
The site has continued to expand. In June 2023, parent company PepsiCo announced a £58 million investment to increase capacity by 11,000 tonnes annually. The upgrade included new manufacturing lines, electric ovens replacing gas-powered equipment, and enhanced sustainability measures. A further £3.8 million investment announced in March 2026 will install a 3.56MW-peak solar power system on the facility's Southern Region Distribution Centre, projected to supply the site's entire annual electricity requirement.
PepsiCo now employs more than 1,000 people at its Leicester operations, with approximately 2,700 staff across the UK snacks business overall.
From Cheese and Onion to Global Brand
Walkers' flavour innovations have shaped British snacking habits for decades. Cheese and Onion arrived in 1954, inspired by the Ploughman's lunch. Salt and Vinegar followed in 1967, drawing from the nation's love of fish and chips. Prawn Cocktail and Roast Chicken joined the lineup in the 1970s, reflecting contemporary food trends.
The company's market dominance grew steadily. By 1989, when PepsiCo acquired Walkers, the brand held one-third of the UK crisp market. By the 1990s, Walkers had overtaken Golden Wonder to become Britain's most popular crisp brand.
Flavour preferences have remained remarkably consistent. A 2019 YouGov survey found Cheese and Onion the nation's favourite, with Ready Salted and Salt and Vinegar also ranking highly. The 2002 launch of the premium Sensations range and 2006's introduction of oven-baked Walkers Baked demonstrated the brand's ability to adapt to changing consumer preferences without abandoning its core identity.
The Leicester Connection
Walkers' ties to Leicester extend beyond manufacturing. Gary Lineker, the Leicester-born former England international, has served as the brand's ambassador since 1995. His father, Barry Lineker, a former Leicester market trader, also appeared in advertisements.
The company sponsored Leicester City Football Club for 14 years and held naming rights to the club's stadium, known as Walkers Stadium from 2002 until 2011. In 2016, Walkers produced limited-edition "Winners – Salt and Victory" crisps to commemorate Leicester City's improbable Premier League triumph.
Environmental Responsibility
The scale of Walkers' Leicester operation brings environmental scrutiny. The company has invested in an anaerobic digester at the Leicester site to process potato and food waste, generating electricity used on-site. Manufacturing sites send zero waste to landfill.
Packaging remains an ongoing challenge. The brand has faced criticism over non-recyclable crisp packets, prompting commitments to sustainability improvements alongside production expansion.
A Leicester Legacy
From a single butcher's shop responding to postwar shortages, Walkers has grown into a business producing 13 million bags of snacks daily across four UK sites. Annual sales reached £1.25 billion in 2022, making Walkers Britain's third-largest grocery brand by value.
The Leicester factory remains the beating heart of the operation, a testament to the city's industrial heritage and the Walker family's decision, more than 75 years ago, to trade meat slicers for potato peelers.