Impact of £1.2billion Bakkavor takeover by Greencore is unclear for Newark and Lincolnshire workers

A £1.2billion takeover of Bakkavor has been announced - but it is not clear what the impact of the deal will be for factory workers in our area.

Convenience food producer Greencore has agreed in principle with the Bakkavor board a deal which could see the creation of a £4billion food business.

Bakkavor is a large employer within Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, boasting the world’s chilled desserts factory located in Jessop Way, Newark, as well as factories in Spalding, Bourne, and Holbeach St Marks.

An announcement states: “The combined group would create a leading UK convenience food business with a combined revenue of c. £4 billion, with a diverse product offering, strong commercial relationships, managed by a broader set of customer dedicated teams, and highly competitive capabilities in attractive segments across the UK convenience food landscape, creating significant benefits for customers and consumers as well as a stronger contribution to the overall UK economy.

“The combined group would have enhanced capabilities across innovation, supply chain and operations further benefiting both customers and consumers through enhanced value across a complementary set of categories.”

The Bakkavor Group was established in 1986 in Iceland by Agust and Lydur Gudmundsson, who over the years, expanded its footprint across the UK by acquiring various food manufacturing businesses.

The Newark site was acquired by Bakkavor in 2006, taking over Lauren’s Patisserie.

Bakkavor produces meals, pizza and bread along with salads.

A long-running strike action at the Spalding site has recently ended.