Aga, symbol of Middle England, sold to the US

THEY are a staple of the English country cottage kitchen and loved by both celebrities and chefs.

But the company behind Aga cookers has been snapped up by a giant American group.

Kitchen products specialist Middleby Corporation has agreed to pay £ 129million for AGA Rangemaster.

The deal makes the company the latest traditional British business to be taken over by a US rival and could raise fears among customers and its 2,500 British workers.

But AGA’s chief executive William McGrath promised Middleby will keep making Aga’s cast iron kitchen ranges in the UK.

‘We have guarantees,’ he said. ‘Middleby is buying into the British produced heritage of this com- pany. Middleby have no presence in the UK and they understand the unique brand we have.’

But previous history suggests such promises are not always kept. In 2010, US processed cheese group Kraft bought Cadbury then reneged on a promise to keep its factory near Bath open.

The stoves have become such a symbol of Middle England that novels written around life in the countryside have become known as ‘Aga sagas’. The brand’s fans include French actor Gerard Depardieu, model Jasmine Guinness and chefs including Jamie Oliver, Marco Pierre White and Mary Berry. Its Aga ranges sell for between £5,000 and £16,000 while its Rangemaster cookers cost between £1,300 and £2,600.

But sales suffered following the financial crisis. The company was forced to lay off 750 staff, reducing its workforce to 2,500 and profits fell by a third to £700,000 last year. News of Middleby’s talks with AGA Rangemaster emerged last month but the deal has now been agreed.

The British company began producing cast iron cooking pots in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, in the 18th century, while its factory in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, made its first stove in 1830.

Mr McGrath said Middleby, based in Elgin, Illinois, has committed to keeping these operations as well as others in Long Eaton in Derbyshire and Ketley in Shropshire.