Birmingham-based 2 Sisters Food Group told this site in a statement it could confirm it was the “lead interested party” in the potential purchase of the former S&A Foods site at Sir Francis Ley Industrial Estate, Shaftsbury Street South, Derby.
2 Sisters is currently undertaking the necessary process in relation to acquiring the S&A Foods’s sites and would update the market as the sale progresses, it said.
Loss of Asda contract
S&A Foods entered administration after Asda cancelled its contract for the firm’s chilled, ethnic ready meals.
It employed 350 people and is now in the hands of administrator Deloitte, the firm’s founder Perween Warsi confirmed.
Warsi said her over-riding priority was to provide as much support as possible to those affected by the administration.
The former Food Manufacture Personality of the Year winner came under fire from workers and local councillors for relying on the Asda contract.
Price not quality
She defended herself to the Derby Telegraph, claiming the retailer should shoulder the blame for switching to another supplier. Warsi also said that Asda had made the decision based on price, not because of any quality issues.
JET (Jobs, Education and Training) offered a glimmer of hope to workers who had lost their jobs as a result of the factory closure by staging a jobs fare.
Former S&A Foods workers were provided with help writing CVs and job interview advice. The event was attended by a number of food manufacturers looking for employees for nearby factories.