Administrators wind up Millar Savoury Foods
The family company, which employed 30 people at its plant near Londonderry, Northern Ireland, ceased trading on June 10. All staff were made redundant.
Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s were amongst the firm's customers. It supplied sausages, burgers, pies, sausage rolls, scotch eggs and cottage pies.
A spokesman for administrator McCambridge Duffy told FoodManufacture.co.uk that difficulties in passing on commodity price increases to supermarket customers were to blame for Millar’s troubles.
Paul Rankin range
He said the company, which operated from rented premises, was now set to go through a creditors' voluntary liquidation, a process likely to take 18 months.
Administrators were called in on June 1 but despite actively canvassing potential buyers, no purchaser could be found, said the spokesman.
Millar, which was established in 1969, owned brands including Mulligan's Munchers and Millfarm.
It saw a 21% hike in turnover in 2009 after it collaborated with celebrity chef Paul Rankin on a new range of Rankin Selection Pies, a deal that saw it grow its business with the UK multiples.
The company is understood to have had debts of about £500,000.
