Further restructuring for Serious Food Company

Fruit juice and soup maker Serious Food Company (SFC) may have to close one of its production units to help bring it back into the black, chief executive Paul Bates has revealed.

Bates, who earlier this month announced plans to axe a quarter (200) of his loss-making firm’s workforce, said he had identified “an opportunity to make significant efficiency savings within our juice business that will include some consolidation of production and the eventual closure of one of our production units”.The redundancies, which would happen early next year, would be across management, clerical and production roles, he added: “The harsh reality is that this business is currently in a loss-making position and we have to make some very difficult decisions in order to secure its successful long-term future.

“By introducing a business unit structure we also believe that we will deliver a far greater degree of focus and accountability around all of our activities.

Bates, who recently sold the firm’s premium desserts business to Noble Foods as part of the restructuring, said the firm would also be reverting back to its original name, Sunjuice, in order to reflect a renewed focus on its core fruit juice business.

The move, which follows the acquisition of Dutch juices and smoothies manufacturer Hoogesteger, takes SFC back to its roots after a period of diversification.

As the Serious brand was sold with the desserts business, the firm’s soups and distribution business would also re-brand in the coming weeks, he said.

Based in Llantrisant, Wales, SFC employs more than 800 people.