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Glendale Foods acquired by private family company
The Glendale founders, Paul Burkitt and Mark Jones, who bought the company out eight years ago say this move represents a ‘great next chapter’ for the business, with Shallan Group set to support the business with both capital and sector expertise.
Commenting, a director of the Shallan Group, Shafin Somji, said: “We saw Glendale as an excellent investment opportunity being well placed in its markets with strong products, a strong team, and an overall solid foundation on which to grow.
“We view Glendale as a strategic long-term purchase and, therefore, look forward to supporting the business with capital as well as our sector expertise, given our frozen food operations in North America. We are excited for this next phase of Glendale’s growth story.”
The specialist frozen foods producer of Glendale Foods, The Great British Pudding Company and Yankee snacks, as well as a private label supplier, will also see several leadership changes, including Somji taking on the role of executive chairman and Simon Whittaker as its new CEO.
Sharing his thoughts, Whittaker added: “Glendale is a great company with great people and a strong base on which to establish the Shallan Group’s UK food manufacturing presence. We see this as an ideal opportunity to invest further to leverage the core foundations already in place.
“With the current product development capability and available capacity, we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. We are also very pleased that our NED [non-executive director], Nigel Broadhurst has agreed to continue working with Glendale through our next stage of strategic growth. Nigel has a distinguished career within the food industry.”
Moreover, as of 17 June 2024, Steve Wood will assume the position of managing director. He joins from an operations background, with more than 30 years’ experience across a range of food categories which includes senior roles at Butcher’s Pet Care and Pilgrim’s, among others.
Burkitt and Jones will remain with the business ‘for the foreseeable future’ as executive founders.
