Glisten in position

Snacks and confectionery firm, Glisten is in a stronger position to boost exports, invest in products, upgrade its IT and pursue acquisitions with Raisio as its new owner, according to its chief executive, Paul Simmonds.

He said: "Raisio is going to invest in Glisten and there will be opportunities for us to drive exports in markets where Raisio has a strong presence, especially in Scandinavia."

Well-publicised problems at Halo Foods had now been resolved and a new management team installed, said Simmonds. "Things had got out of control, we'd picked up new business and lost control of operational costs. We didn't handle labour, scheduling and product development cost-effectively and it hit customer service. But we now have a new md and finance director and things are back on track."

Raisio, which owns the cholesterol-busting Benecol brand, said it would "invest to enable Glisten to grow organically and through acquisitions"