Soleco UK has acquired prepared salads producer Salads to Go, creating a £75 million turnover company with 20 per cent market share of the prepped salads category in the UK.
Soléco UK, part of Florette and owned by the €1.9 billion Agrial Co-operative, has acquired the firm for an undisclosed sum.
The two companies, which operate across all areas of the prepared salad sector, providing branded, private label and foodservice products, will continue to operate as separate companies from their own UK plants - Soleco in Lichfield in the West Midlands and Salads To Go in Skelmersdale in Lancashire. The joining of the two companies, which have both enjoyed individually strong growth records, will create a major force for continued success.
Mark Newton, managing director of Soléco UK, said: “This is an extremely exciting day for Soléco UK and the Florette brand. The management team at Salads To Go has built a strong business over the past nine years, and an established reputation for providing quality products, to the own label and foodservice sectors.
“Both companies have performed robustly in what has become a mature market, so by bringing them together, we can continue to grow at a similar level.
“Salads To Go also provides a very complementary operation to the Soléco UK business, whose Florette brand is well established and trusted in all major retailers.”
Salads To Go directors, managing director Stephen Rogers and commercial director Julie Bolton, will remain with the company, retaining responsibility for growing the Salads To Go business. The Soléco UK business will continue to develop the Florette brand as the premium salad offering for multiple and convenience retailers.
Bolton told freshinfo: "We are very excited about the deal. It's a great opportunity as it gives us a strong financial backing, security and confidence to grow.
"There is room on our site to develop and expand and this could well be accelerated. We have already been growing at a rate of more than 25 per cent in the last three years - significantly ahead of the market."
Newton added: “The prepared salads category has become a mature market, and we firmly believe that the bringing together of Soléco UK and Salads To Go will help the continued development of both companies at the heart of the category. For the employees and customers of both companies, operationally it is very much business as usual. Customers will benefit from working with a strong group committed to investing in the category.
“In all, it is an exciting step for both companies.”
Stephen Rogers, managing director at Salads To Go, said: “The Florette brand is well established in the prepared salads category, so we will benefit from their considerable market expertise. Julie and I have worked hard to build Salads To Go from a business with an annual turnover of £200,000 to nearly £30 million, so joining with Soléco UK is testament to the success of the whole team. We are excited about what the future holds for the company.”
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