GRIMSBY FISH FACTORY TO CLOSE

Grimsby fish factory to close. Canada-based Sofina Foods is to shut a Young’s  white fish processing factory in Grimbsy in October, according to news site Just-Food.com

The closure of the Marsden Road site is a result of “changes in future demand for products produced at the site”, Sofina said. The move will affect 285 jobs.

The company had proposed the closure earlier in June.

“We explored a number of options to maintain operations and to protect roles. Sadly, this has been unsuccessful,” Sofina said.

The company said continuing production at the site “would no longer be financially sustainable”.

Sofina has two plants in Grimsby. Both manufacture chilled and frozen fish including under the Young’s brand.

Whitefish processing will move to the company’s Humberstone Road site in the same town. Sofina will transfer smoked processing to a site in Fraserburgh in Scotland.

“During the coming months, a number of new roles will be created at the Humberstone Road and Fraserburgh sites to support the transfer and we will make every effort to offer alternative opportunities across the group where possible to those affected,“ Sofina said.

The company owns pork and seafood brands such as Karro, Bloors, Stirchley Bacon, Young’s and Young’s Gastro.

Sofina operates 16 plants and three hatcheries across Canada and 23 sites across the UK, Ireland, Germany and France.

The Canadian manufacturer struck a deal to buy Eight Fifty Food Group, the UK and Irish meat and seafood processor, from private-equity firm CapVest in 2021.

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