Belgian takeover allows ready meal firm to grow
Aready meal firm will create more than 200 jobs in a major expansion funded by a partnership with a Belgian food giant.
KK Fine Foods on Deeside has gone from a company run from a kitchen to a 400-worker operation over 30 years – supplying meals to pubs, restaurants and theme parks.
Now the business is set to make another leap forward after buying a 60,000 sq ft unit next to its current site on Deeside Industrial Park.
The investment will cost in the region of £13m and has been funded by the sale of 90% of the business to food company Ter Beke, which sup- plies the European market from sites in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Poland.
It will lead to the creation of another 200 jobs over the next year – taking the total number of workers past the 600 mark.
KK Fine Foods chairman Dr Graham Jackson said: “This is the next stage for KK Fine Foods and the staff are excited about the future here.
“There is huge demand for our meals, which is why we need to expand, and the deal with Ter Beke gives us the investment we need to purchase and equip the new site.
“Our ambition is now to take this business from a £42m takeover operation to a turnover of £100m over the next five years.
“Samir [Edwards] will remain as managing director and Leyla Edwards, who founded the business from her kitchen, will stay during the transition.”
The clearance of the site will take three months, and it will take another six months to fit out the unit.
Dr Jackson said the additional workers will be taken on over the next 12 months.
Dirk Goeminne, CEO at Ter Beke, said: “I have met many passionate developers at KK Fine Foods and have had the good fortune of sampling their creations. Their passion for food is exceptional and one that should be nurtured.
“For that reason, we have made a conscious decision for KK Fine Foods to continue operating independently.
“The takeover offers us a great opportunity to capitalise on the potential of KK Fine Foods by offering their products on the European mainland, and vice versa.”