Fyffes Group Ltd has acquired Sheffield-based wholesaler and banana distributor HE Dibble Ltd.
John and Chris Dibble will continue to manage the business, which has been established in the area for more than 85 years.
They will continue to trade under the name HE Dibble, as a member of the Fyffes Group, but all existing staff have been transferred to Fyffes employment.
John Dibble said the decision to join forces was borne out of a long-standing respect for Fyffes.
“We have worked closely with Fyffes for more than 30 years, handling their green bananas,” he said.
“The association will provide us with access to a wider base of suppliers and places of procurement and give us the best range of products.”
The company will also benefit from a complete transition to Fyffes’ IT network and all other technical developments and support shared by its constituents.
Seamus Mulvenna, managing director of Fyffes Produce UK, said the acquisition would strengthen Fyffes’ influence in the Yorkshire area and enhance its policy of ongoing growth in the wholesale sector.
Fyffes has expanded its presence significantly in the UK with the adoption of wholesale businesses in markets across the UK, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool and East Anglia.
Mulvenna said: “We will take advantage of any such opportunity. We believe the sector will continue to consolidate because it is very difficult to survive as a small business and it is our objective to operate at the maximum scale possible.”
