Greencore buys factory from Street Eats maker

The 40,000m²​ facility will provide Greencore with the added manufacturing capacity it needs to meet its planned food-to-go growth, it said. The site, owned by Tasties of Chester, was bought for an undisclosed sum.

Greencore’s food-to-go md Kevin Moore said: “I am delighted to announce that Greencore has acquired the West Drayton site of Tasties of Chester. The facility manufactures hot and cold food-to-go products under the Street Eats brand.​

‘96 new colleagues’​

“We look forward to welcoming 96 new colleagues to our Food-to-Go division and to The Greencore Way. I am also pleased to announce that Alwen Hill will lead the integration of the new site and I am sure you will all join me in offering her our full support.”​

The factory is located just off the M4 and the M25, and is a five-minute drive from Heathrow Airport. The site will be rebadged ‘Greencore Food-to-Go – Heathrow’, the convenience food maker confirmed.

The acquisition came after Greencore reported its food-to-go offering had seen strong growth in the 26 weeks to March 31​. UK and Republic of Ireland food-to-go sales were up 19.7% across the period, it added.

‘Continues to grow rapidly’​

Last month, Greencore’s ceo Patrick Coveney said: “In the UK, we have delivered significant expansion and investment following recent new long-term business wins, as our food-to-go business continues to grow rapidly.”​

Greencore’s new facility in West Drayton was bought by Street Eats and Tasties of Chester owner PK Food Concepts​ in February 2016. PK invested £4M in the facility to make it into a sandwich factory, after its operations in Chester neared its capacity.

At the time, PK said it planned to create about 300 jobs at the new factory.