UK retailer Morrisons has acquired Manchester-based product packing facility Simply Fresh Foods.
The facility will join Morrisons’ manufacturing division to provide, what the retailer said today (26 July), will be a “dedicated produce packing and distribution service” to its stores across the UK.
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The position of Simply Fresh employees will remain unchanged, it said.
A spokesperson for the retailer told just-food: “Morrisons is a vertically-integrated business and a top five food producer – not only does it own and run over 425 stores in the UK, it also has 13 manufacturing sites and runs 13 distribution centres. As we grow our retail business across the UK, the requirement to produce high quality fresh food for our stores increases too.
“We have taken the decision to expand our produce packing capacity, acquiring the Worsely facility operated by Simply Fresh, which will supply packed vegetable lines.”
Morrinsons said it aims to invest in developing the facility further with new equipment.
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By GlobalData“The acquisition of this business will make an important contribution to serving the needs of our customers as we continue to grow from national to nationwide,” the retailer said in a statement.
The spokesperson declined to comment on financial details of the deal and said: “The level of investment is commercially sensitive but is not material in the context of our business.”
Simply Fresh Foods is an independent fresh food manufacturer producing fresh-cut, stir-fry, prepared vegetables and prepared potatoes.
