Chilled foods

Automation behind Urban Eat sales growth

02-Jul-2012 - Food Partners is to invest in automation at its sandwich factory in north London. This "intelligent option" retains the flexibility of its operations, according to its factory manager Wes Jenkins.

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Contract fillers

02-Jul-2012 - With contracts to meet for Olympic Games suppliers, Food Partners' sandwich business has never been busier, Wes Jenkins tells Rick Pendrous

Growth in chilled and frozen foods driven by segmentation

28-Jun-2012 - Growth of 6% in the value of retail chilled and frozen food sales, though partly explained by price inflation, can also be accounted for by an increasingly segmented offering in many product areas, say sector organisations.

Greencore ‘off critical list’ in US after buying Schau

27-Jun-2012 - Chilled food manufacturer Greencore’s US business is “off the critical list” after its acquisition today (June 27) of US sandwich and sushi manufacturer HC Schau & Son, according to City analyst Investec Securities.

Greencore’s Minsterley sale allows Marks & Spencer focus

18-Jun-2012 - Greencore’s sale of its Minsterley desserts business to Müller Dairy will allow the chilled food manufacturer to focus on developing its relationships with key customers such as Marks & Spencer, said city analyst Shore Capital.

Greencore’s Minsterley sale to Müller: analysts’ view

15-Jun-2012 - “White elephant”, “millstone” and “problem child”: Just three of the images analysts have used to describe Greencore’s troubled desserts facility in Minsterley, which has been sold to Müller Dairy for £4.3M.

News in brief

Greencore sells Minsterley to Müller Dairy for £4.3M

15-Jun-2012 - Chilled food manufacturer Greencore has sold its troubled desserts facility in Minsterley to Müller Dairy for £4.3M plus an amount for stock.

Bakkavör plans more food launches after Tesco deal

07-Jun-2012 - Chilled own-label food manufacturer Bakkavör plans new product launches later this year, according to its chief financial officer Peter Gates.

McCain to axe up to 40 jobs as pizza sales fall

06-Jun-2012 - Up to 40 jobs are under threat at the McCain food factory in Scarborough, as the firm shifts production from pizzas to ready-baked jacket potatoes.

Troubled chilled foods firm Bakkavör could be target for takeover, say financial analysts

30-May-2012 - Speculation has emerged over the past month that chilled own-label food manufacturer Bakkavör could be the subject of a takeover bid following its troubled recent history

News in brief

Greencore results: the analysts’ verdict

23-May-2012 - Half-year results from convenience food manufacturer Greencore published this week (May 22) have attracted a warm reception from city analysts.

Greencore: US chilled foods market ‘worth billions’

22-May-2012 - Anglo Irish convenience food manufacturer Greencore sees “huge potential for expansion” in the US chilled food market, according to its chief financial officer Alan Williams.

Bakkavör to launch ethnic food range

16-May-2012 - Own-label, fresh prepared foods firm Bakkavör is to launch an ethnic foods range “very soon”, according to the management statement accompanying its results for the quarter ended March 31.

News in brief

Marks & Spencer targets recession-conscious shoppers

14-May-2012 - Marks & Spencer (M&S) is targeting the recession-conscious shopper by launching a budget range of everyday food products.

News in brief

2 Sisters’ RF Brookes to axe 193 jobs

14-May-2012 - Chilled food manufacturer RF Brookes – owned by the 2 Sisters Food Group – plans to cut 193 jobs at its factory in South Wigston, Leicestershire.

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Bakkavör founders could reinvest in the business

11-May-2012 - The two Icelandic food entrepreneurs who founded the own-label food manufacturing business Bakkavör could acquire up to a quarter of the group’s shares, following financial restructuring talks.

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Soup maker canned from The Apprentice launches baby foods

08-May-2012 - Food manufacturer Jane McEvoy – fired by Lord Alan Sugar from his TV show The Apprentice last month – has bounced back by launching a range of organic, allergen-free, fresh baby and toddler soups.

Hain Celestial to expand soup after Irish purchase

04-May-2012 - New Covent Garden soup owner the Hain Celestial Group is to grow soup sales in the UK, Ireland and the US after its acquisition of Irish chilled soup specialist Cully & Sully.

S&A to expand on the Continent

01-May-2012 - Ethnic ready meals producer S&A Foods is considering expanding its business overseas with potential manufacturing facilities In Europe on the agenda.

Nestlé beats Danone to Pfizer baby-food takeover

24-Apr-2012 - KitKat maker Nestlé has beaten rival manufacturer Danone in the takeover battle for baby-food business Pfizer Nutrition after agreeing an offer of £7.35bn ($11.85bn) for the firm.

2 Sisters’ Solway Foods loses disability tribunal

18-Apr-2012 - Sandwich manufacturer Solway Foods, part of 2 Sisters Food Group, has been found guilty of constructive dismissal and disability discrimination when a worker was forced to resign after falling at the firm’s Northamptonshire factory.

Greencore faces US challenge with Marketfare deal

18-Apr-2012 - Anglo-Irish chilled foods manufacturer Greencore faces a tough challenge in the US convenience foods market, according to city analysts, after the firm announced the purchase of Arizona-based food-to-go firm Marketfare yesterday (April 17).

News in brief

Food manufacturers warned of GMO rice fraud

11-Apr-2012 - Food manufacturers are being warned of a possible food fraud surrounding the production of imported basmati rice which could be intentionally contaminated with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

Premier Foods and Dairy Crest hit by retailers' woes

11-Apr-2012 - Premier Foods, Dairy Crest and Britvic are among a growing number of food and drink manufacturers under increasing financial pressure as a result of a struggling retail market, according to a new report.