Paul Tripp, the managing director of malt loaf manufacturer Soreen, has resigned, British Baker can reveal.

Tripp has been a highly influential figure at the Samworth Brothers-owned company leading Soreen into alternative markets such as snacking and was behind its rebrand in 2010.

Employees at the Manchester-based firm have been made aware in a memo which said Tripp, who had been with the company for eight years, had been the “power house behind the Soreen brand”.

The letter to staff also added: “He successfully led Soreen post the acquisition and has been instrumental in the integration of Soreen into Samworth Brothers. His experience and flair has helped put the brand back in the spotlight.”

A spokeswoman for Samworth Brothers confirmed Tripp had resigned and said he was now on gardening leave.

Sales

According to The Daily Telegraph earlier this year he has helped to increase sales by 58% over the past three years, and had set a target of lifting them from £34.7m to £50m by 2017. Soreen employs 160 staff in Manchester, baking 1.1m malt loaves each week and getting through 2,000 tonnes of fruit every year.

Chilled food manufacturer Samworth Brothers made its first acquisition in nearly 30 years when it bought Soreen from the McCambridge Group for an undisclosed sum in February 2014. Yesterday the company also acquired SCI-MX Nutrition, owner of sports nutrition brand SCI-MX. The deal comes as supermarket sales of sports nutrition goods have soared 12.8% to £143.5m on volumes up 20.2% in the past year [IRI 52 w/e 11 July 2015].

Soreen was also finalist in the Bakery Manufacture of the Year category at the Baking Industry Awards.

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