Nestlé has announced plans to switch all of its confectionery research to York in the UK, following the global food giant’s decision to relocate work done at The Chocolate Centre of Excellence in Broc, Switzerland to its York tech centre.

That means the Nestlé Product Technology Centre for Confectionery will spearhead all of its chocolate development. A spokesman for Nestlé UK said it was too early to say whether the move would create any jobs in York.

Opened in 2009 in Broc, Switzerland, Nestlé’s Chocolate Centre of Excellence was designed to lead its drive “in the premium and luxury chocolate segment, which in turn will influence the company’s entire chocolate range”. Now that work is to be moved to the Haxby Road technology centre.

The idea is to streamline its research and development activities dedicated to confectionery “to improve speed and agility of innovation on a global scale”.