Uniq to Exit Everyday Desserts
Uniq, the UK chilled food group, has decided to exit its unprofitable everyday desserts business and to close its production unit at Minsterley in the first half of 2012, with the loss of approximately 350 jobs. The move follows an in depth review of the group’s desserts division. Uniq will now focus on developing its growing, premium dessert and Muller/Cadbury desserts businesses.
The restructuring will entail the transfer of certain selected premium desserts sales from Minsterley to Uniq’s Evercreech site. The everyday desserts sales being exited are approximately £36m. The total cash cost of this restructuring is estimated to be approximately £10m, including capital investment.
Having previously announced in July 2011 the withdrawal from the premium differentiated yogurt market after April 2012 (sales of approximately £13m) , this will leave the scaled-down Minsterley site employing around 100 people focused solely on the Muller/Cadbury chocolate desserts business. The Evercreech business, having already exited cottage cheese in 2011, will become a focused premium desserts supplier.
Uniq is, of course, in the process of being acquired by Greencore, the Irish andUKconvenience food group. In addition to desserts, Uniq’s other main business is food to go.
