UK: Browns Food Group buys Vion's Hall's brand
By Katy Askew | 30 January 2013
Scottish food firm Browns Food Group has purchased the Hall's brand from Dutch group Vion.
Browns said the move "effectively merged" two of Scotland's "oldest family-owned food businesses".
"We are very pleased to have secured the future of one of Scotland's best known brands, and to have brought it safely under private Scottish ownership," Browns FD Alan Hill commented.
The purchase does not include Hall's production facilities in Broxburn, which will remain shuttered. However, 50 jobs will be retained, the company said.
Vion announced last October that it planned to close the Hall's production facility because it was unable to find a "sustainable alternative". The Dutch meat group later revealed that it will exit the UK and began looking for buyers for its interests in the country.
For more on how Browns intends to grow the Hall's brand check back for our interview with finance chief Hill.
Hall's to stay in Scotland
Hall's has been acquired by Browns Food Group (Browns) from its Dutch owner VION - it was announced today (Wednesday January 30).
In acquiring the Hall's brand, created by David A Hall in 1932, Browns, established in 1885, has effectively merged two of Scotland's oldest family owned food businesses.
The move by Browns, which is headquartered in Kirkconnel, Dumfriesshire, will see the retention of the Hall's production in Scotland, and the van sales operation will continue to operate throughout Scotland. Fifty Hall's employees will be retained in that area.
Browns Finance Director Alan Hill said: "We are very pleased to have secured the future of one of Scotland's best known brands, and to have brought it safely under private Scottish ownership. It is especially fitting that we agreed the deal so close to Burns Night, as Hall's is one of the world's largest suppliers of haggis. "We intend to invest heavily in the Hall's brand, and we will preserve and increase its reputation by offering food that is both good quality and good value. This will also lead to job creation and security going forward." Browns Food Group is one of the UK's leading food manufacturers, supplying retail, food service and wholesale markets. The group operates from seven manufacturing sites in Scotland and England, producing and supplying an extensive range in quality cooked meats, pre-sliced and whole joints, ready meals, salmon, poultry products, convenience foods and a variety of delicatessen items. The entire group boasts a product range which extends well into the thousands.
A spokesman for VION Food Group said: ""Following their acquisition of the Hall's brand, we would like to wish Browns Food Group every success with their plans for the business."
Original source: Browns Food Group
Sectors: Meat & poultry, Mergers & acquisitions
Companies: Vion
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