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Kerry deal ‘makes no difference’ to consultation at Headland Foods’ Flint factory

The consultation over the proposed closure of Headland Foods' Flint frozen ready meals factory in Flint will continue under Headland's new owner Kerry Group.

Staff at Headland Foods - which operates factories in Flint and Grimsby (pictured) making frozen own-label ready meals for the supermarkets - learned that Headland had been acquired by Kerry Group just before Christmas.

However, the deal did not affect proposals - currently under consultation - to shut down the operation at Flint, Kerry Group's director of corporate affairs Frank Hayes told FoodManufacture.co.uk.

"Employees and customers were informed about the acquisition on December 22 and the deal was completed during the week commencing January 14.

"The consultation at Flint [which employs around 320 people] is carrying on as before and will be completed in mid-February."

He added: "The frozen ready meals sector is highly competitive and profitability has been impacted.

"But we are fully committed to this market. This acquisition gives us more economies of scale and a stronger position in the marketplace."

Kerry has a large frozen ready meals plant (Rye Valley Foods) at Carrickmacross in County Monaghan in Northern Ireland that supplies the UK retail market, said Hayes. But the acquisition of Headland would give it a presence in mainland Britain.

Headland, which was part of the private equity-backed Prize Food Group, made almost a quarter of its workforce at Flint redundant in early 2009.

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