More than 100 jobs are at risk of redundancy at The Compleat Food Group’s Tottle bakery in Nottingham due to “changing demand in a competitive trading environment”.
The business has entered into a 45-day consultation process putting 131 roles at risk as it looks to reduce headcount across several departments at the site.
“This is due to changing demand in a competitive trading environment and to ensure we can continue to support the long-term sustainable future of roles at the site,” a spokesperson for the manufacturer said.
“We will be working closely with all our employees to support them over the coming weeks, as well as meeting colleagues affected on an individual basis to offer practical support and advice through this period,” they added.
The Tottle bakery specialises in producing pork pies for retailers and The Compleat Food Group’ portfolio of brands, which includes Pork Farms, Wall’s Pastry, and Wrights. The firm’s website highlights that it is one of only a small number of businesses situated within the PGI-designated Melton Mowbray pork pie region, adding that it is the ‘only UK manufacturer with process capability in every type of pork pie production’.
It has also been subject to substantial investment in automation equipment as the company implemented a trayless packaging process which eliminates 75% of the plastic previously used in high-volume pork pie packs. This was part of Compleat’s drive to remove plastic trays from its pork pie packaging, cutting over 100 tonnes of plastic from its supply chain in the process.
The Compleat Food Group, which was formed in 2021, employs more than 16,000 people across 16 sites. Its latest accounts filed on Companies House for the year to 30 March 2024 saw sales and profits soar as it continues on its journey to become ‘the UK’s leading chilled prepared food group’.
However, it incurred exceptional costs of £14.4m before taxation for the period covered, mainly in relation to restructuring costs across head office functions and the closure of its Shaftesbury site in Dorset. Included in the exceptional items was an £800k fine levied by the Health and Safety Executive for two workers losing fingers in accidents at Pork Farms bakeries in Nottingham, including Tottle.
Tottle isn’t the first bakery manufacturing site subject to a reduction in headcount in 2025. Just last week, Morrisons revealed that it would be downsizing its Rathbones bakery in Wakefield with the production of traditional sliced bread at the site to be ceased with a focus on specialist products such as crumpets, pancakes, naans, and pittas instead.
No comments yet