Historic sweets manufacturer moves into new 60,000 sq ft site
Lancashire-based confectioner, Stockley’s, has invested into a new facility as part of ambitious growth plans.
Investments
Roberts Bakery saved, over 400 jobs secured
Roberts Bakery parent company Frank Roberts & Sons Limited has been saved by the private investment enterprise, Boparan Private Office, owned by entrepreneur Ranjit Singh Boparan.
McVitie’s maker surpasses £3BN in revenue
Pladis posted record revenue in its latest full-year results, as it hit £3.23 billion.
Asda to open 20 new convenience stores by end of 2025
Supermarket chain Asda has revealed it is to launch up to 20 new Express convenience stores across the UK by the end of the year as part of its plans to expand the format.
Finsbury invests millions into foodservice site
The manufacturer is making a multi-million investment into its Manchester-based Kara Foodservice facility to drive innovation, efficiency and growth.
Arla Lockerbie celebrates 50th birthday with £144M investment
The dairy firm has made major upgrades to its cheddar facilities and is adding a UHT and lacto-free Centre of Excellence, alongside a new anaerobic digestion plant at its Scottish site in Lockerbie.
Eden Mill opens new distillery
The ribbon has been cut on the beverage firm’s new landmark distillery and visitor centre, situated on the banks of the Eden Estuary.
Princes Group confirms London IPO plans
Following the announcement on 3 October 2025 of its expected intention to float, Princes Group has confirmed it will proceed with an initial public offering (IPO).
Dessert retailer receives £1.1M investment
Batch’d expects to significantly grow turnover in next three years, with ambitious expansion plans.
Whitakers Chocolates invests in new nut facility
The North Yorkshire chocolatier has announced the investment alongside a new product launch.
Carlsberg Britvic invests £20M into Rugby factory
The beverage manufacturer has made a major investment into its Rugby factory, creating double digit job opportunities.
Pilgrim’s Europe profits grow amid revenue dip
The UK private label grocery supplier reported profitable growth, with profit after tax at £128.4 million for FY 2024.
New Princes plans IPO and listing on London Stock Exchange
New Princes Group has announced plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO).
Boparan to expand restaurant portfolio with new site openings
Boparan Restaurant Group has announced plans to open numerous new Slim Chickens and Giraffe sites.
Hilton Foods disposes of FairFax Meadow for £54M
Hilton Foods has sold the catering butcher to Sysco GB as the group continues to reshape it strategy.
Poultry and horticulture key to UK economic growth, says IGD
Horticulture and poultry have been marked out as two sectors with the potential to unlock £5 billion investment and 60,000 jobs, if the right support is given.
The Original Baker doubles production capacity
The North Yorkshire manufacturer, The Original Baker, which produces handmade sweets and savoury pastry products, has completed a major expansion project.
‘Breakthrough’ functional fat alternative secures €2.5M investment
Perfat Technologies has raised €2.5 million in Series A financing after developing a novel solution that can replace saturated and trans-fats.
Paulig venture arm invests into AI start-up
PINC, the corporate venture capital arm of Paulig, has joined a £4 million investment round into start-up Scindo to drive innovation into sustainable ingredients.
Ditsch acquires WorldBake for UK expansion
The German bakery has acquired the assets of WorldBake Ltd for an undisclosed sum.
Sandford Orchards to increase capacity by 400,000 litres
The Devon-based cider producer has installed 8 new 50,000 litre tanks ahead of a bumper harvest.
Ambrosia factory gets £19M makeover
Premier Foods has invested into its Lifton site in Devon, which has been the home of Ambrosia custard for more than a century.
Regal Foods snaps up soft drinks brand Suncrest
The Yorkshire-based manufacturer has acquired Suncrest for an undisclosed sum.
Manchester Gin maker faces administration
The small distilling and blending business Drinks of Manchester has appointed an insolvency firm.
Leading UK food redistribution charities to merge
FareShare and The Felix Project, which rescue and redirect surplus food to households across the UK, are uniting to form a bigger and more ambitious organisation.
Major sweetener manufacturer to acquire Slimfast US
Glanbia is set to sell the US division of its weight management and health & wellness brand to the Heartland Food Products Group.
UK food inflation hits 18-month peak at 5.1%
Whilst the latest inflation rate figures show overall stability, the cost of food takes another climb - and is only projected to get worse.
Paramount Retail Group acquires DB Foods
The UK wholesale meat supplier joins Paramount Retail Group’s portfolio of British brands across pet care, confectionery and drinks.
UK food inflation may hit 5.7% by December
Food and drink inflation is on the rise, with the Food and Drink Federation adjusting its original forecast by 0.9 percentage points.
Aldi to invest £1.6BN as it plans to open 80 new stores
Aldi has announced plans to open 80 new stores in the UK over the next two years.
Aldi invests £300M into price cuts
The discounter has invested more than £300 million in price cuts since the start of 2025 amidst rising inflation.
Momo Kombucha secures £2M funding boost
Momo Kombucha has raised £2 million in its largest funding round to date.
JPL Flavours opens £11M headquarters in Merseyside
JPL Flavours has officially opened its new headquarters in Bromborough, Merseyside.
Kraft Heinz announces plan to split business in two
Kraft Heinz has announced a plan to separate the business into two independent companies via a ‘tax-free spin-off’.
Kraft Heinz nears grocery division ‘spin off’
Kraft Heinz is reportedly close to finalising a move to spin off its grocery division into a separate business.
Dr Pepper owner to acquire JDE Peet’s for €15.7BN
Keurig Dr Pepper is purchasing the Dutch coffee company JDE Peet’s and subsequently separating into two independent companies.
Wagamama owner eyes Costa Coffee
Rumours surfaced over the weekend that the Coca-Cola Company is exploring the sale of Costa Coffee, with Wagamama owner Apollo said to be interested.
Lidl’s £435M warehouse investment to create over 500 jobs
From London and Leeds, Lidl GB is looking to scale up and strengthen infrastructure across the country with a major investment into its warehouses.
Big Food mergers and their impact on SMEs
The last year has seen a flurry of acquisition deals, with several bigger firms snapping up successful challenger and smaller brands.
Compleat Food Group unveils new brand identity
The Compleat Food Group has unveiled the biggest refresh to its brand identity since its launch in 2021.
Lactalis to acquire Fonterra’s consumer business
Lactalis has agreed to acquire the consumer and associated businesses of New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra.
Marks & Spencer invests £340M into high-tech distribution centre
This marks the retailer’s biggest investment ever into its food supply chain, as it injects £340 million into the development of an automated National Distribution Centre in Northamptonshire.
UK rum maker to launch first crowdfunding campaign
DropWorks Rum is set to launch its first crowdfunding campaign through online platform Crowdcube.
Premier Foods to acquire Merchant Gourmet in £48m deal
Premier Foods has agreed to acquire ready meal brand Merchant Gourmet for £48 million.
Tiffin acquires Love Bites with plans for major upgrade
Tiffin Sandwiches has snapped up sandwich manufacturer Love Bites for an undisclosed sum.
Company Shop Group relaunches Long Eaton store
Surplus food redistributor and retailer, the Company Shop Group, has reopened its Long Eaton store following a full refurbishment.
Aldi reveals locations of 23 stores set for upgrades
Aldi has revealed the location of the 23 stores set to be upgraded before the end of the year.
Glanbia selling online sports nutrition business and acquires ingredients business
The nutrition company’s first half results revealed a shaky start to the year for its Performance Nutrition business, with vague details offered over a new acquisition and agreement to sell its Benelux D2C e-commerce business.
‘World-first’ batch of Scottish vanilla cultivated in Aberdeenshire
Agritech business Vanilla Farms has commenced production of the first batch of Scottish vanilla at food and drink innovation hub ONE SeedPod.
Protein Works opens £10M production facility, appoints new COO
Protein Works has opened its new production facility in Liverpool following a £10 million investment.