Own-label food maker Bakkavor plans to close its Exotic Farm Produce facility in the UK.
Bakkavor said today (4 March) that it had started a consultation process with workers at the site. The consultation period runs until 11 May. Some 116 staff could be made redundant.
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Exotic Farm Produce, which is based in the Leicestershire town of Kirton, had been “unprofitable for a sustained period of time” due to falling volumes and rising costs, Bakkavor said.
More recently, the facility had lost a “major customer contract”, Bakkavor explained. The company added: “Despite EFP’s tremendous efforts to secure new business over the past two years the progress made has not been enough to counter this latest development. Unfortunately, as a result, the business is no longer in a position to sustain itself going forward.”
Last autumn, Bakkavor faced worker protests at plans to cut staff numbers at its produce site in Bourne.
In October, plans to cut over 300 jobs at the facility were announced, which led to a dispute with the Unite union. Bakkavor said in December that 175 staff would be cut but, in January, after consulting with workers and union officials, the final number of jobs lost was put at 179.
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By GlobalDataAt the end of January, Bakkavor announced plans to expand its Caledonian Produce site in Bo’ness, West Lothian.
