Warburtons has acquired Roberts Bakery’s speciality bread factory in Ilkeston, Derbyshire.
The transaction, made for an undisclosed fee, is said to support future growth of the UK’s biggest bread brand by increasing production capacity of its bakery occasion products including thins and pittas.
It was confirmed by both sides in the aftermath of the news that the business and assets of parent company Frank Roberts & Son have been sold to investment firm Boparan Private Office (BPO). This deal helped secure 433 jobs at Roberts’ main bread plant in Northwich, Cheshire and its biscuit production site in nearby Winsford.
The ownership transfer of the two sites to BPO came immediately after Roberts had appointed joint administrators from PwC, while the Warburtons purchase of the Ilkeston site was said to have been completed prior to administration.
Warburtons MD Mary-Ann Kilby said the new factory “will provide us with further capacity to meet demand in a growing segment of the bakery market”.
“We have enjoyed a positive relationship with the Roberts family for many years and wish them all the best for the future,” she added.
Warburtons has yet to confirm whether any of the 38 Roberts staff employed in Ilkeston would be let go or not, but noted that the site will be fully operational. It was previously used to produce sub rolls, sandwich thins, and paninis for the out-of-home market as well as speciality loaves such as cranberry bread, poppyseed bread, and onion bread.
The Ilkeston factory is just a few miles away from Warburtons’ Eastwood bakery in Nottinghamshire. The Bolton-headquartered company also operates 10 other bakeries across the UK – from Bellshill near Glasgow down to Enfield in London, and from Bristol over to Stockton-on-Tees – along with 17 depots spanning from Aberdeen to the Isle of Wight.
New thins and pitta variants were among the product innovations launched during Warburtons’ most recent financial year (to 28 September 2024) that supported a 4.2% increase in turnover to £741.1m. The manufacturer also marked a 7% improvement in pre-tax profit, reaching £31.8m.
No comments yet