2 Sisters’ RF Brookes to axe 193 jobs

13-May-2012 - Last updated on 14-May-2012 at 12:30 GMT

RF Brookes' owner, 2 Sisters, plans to cut 193 jobs at its South Wigston factory

Chilled food manufacturer RF Brookes – owned by the 2 Sisters Food Group – plans to cut 193 jobs at its factory in South Wigston, Leicestershire.

A spokesman for 2 Sisters said the firm and RF Brookes would continue to work with the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) to find alternatives to redundancies during the three-month consultancy period.

The RF Brookes facility currently employs 500 people.

The 2 Sisters spokesman said: “While regrettable, the business is proposing these measures to try to ensure ongoing sustainability at Leicester and improve job security for the remaining workforce.”

The redundancies are necessary because of contracts lost over the past year, the spokesman added. The biggest blow was the loss of a contract to supply retailer, Marks & Spencer with own-label pies, he said.

Premier Foods

The contract losses happened while RF Brookes was still under Premier Foods' ownership, he added.

2 Sisters acquired the loss-making RF Brookes business from Premier Foods in December 2011.

RF Brookes and 2 Sisters will also continue to seek new business to replace the contracts lost last year, the 2 Sisters spokesman said.

RF Brookes announced the loss of the own-label pies contract for Marks and Spencer last June. At the time, the contract accounted for around 48% of the site’s volume.

The loss resulted in about 220 redundancies.

The BFAWU confirmed that it was consulting with management but declined to comment on the talks.