Fresh prepared-foods manufacturer Bakkavor Group has announced that it has agreed to purchase the trade and assets of Samworth Brothers-owned dessert business, Blueberry Foods.
The deal will provide Bakkavor the additional capacity to build on its leading position in chilled desserts, and add new items to its assortment, it said.
'A Great Strategic Fit'
Bakkavor chief executive, Agust Gudmundsson, termed the acquisition as "a great strategic fit."
"Together with our recent addition of Haydens Bakery and a major investment at our site at Newark, our long-term commitment to growing our desserts category in the UK is clear. The team at Blueberry share our passion for providing outstanding service, quality and value to customers and we look forward to welcoming them to the Group." he added.
In September of 2018, Bakkavor announced the acquisition of Haydens Bakery Limited for £12 million (€13.4 million).
Conditional Deal
The acquisition of Blueberry Foods is subject to the completion of a Transfer of Undertakings (TUPE) process with employees, and other customary pre-closing conditions.
The deal is expected to close by mid-June of this year, and will be funded from existing facilities, Bakkavor said in its statement.
Blueberry operates from a custom-built facility in Leicestershire and employs around 420 people.
It produces a range of desserts for the UK’s leading grocery retailers.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
