UK firm Devonshire Desserts has confirmed its purchase of the Okehampton Desserts frozen food manufacturing facility, formerly operated by Polestar Foods.

Okehampton Desserts had gone into administration earlier this month, with the loss of 232 jobs at the site. Polestar’s owner Privet Capital said that administrators were called in due to cashflow problems at the business.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

Polestar – a business formed in 2009 from two desserts operations formerly owned by Heinz – was bought by Privet in December.

At the time of Privet’s acquisition, administrators were called in at one of the two units, Leamington Desserts, and the private-equity firm said it would restructure and focus on the second – Okehampton Desserts.

Okehampton Desserts’ new owner has said that it has launched an assessment of the plant. “The future of the Okehampton factory will depend upon the outcome of this evaluation,” a spokesperson for Devonshire Desserts said today (18 February).

The group declined to comment on the possibility that it could re-hire former employees. 

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact