Wm Morrison has bought the Greenery UK’s Thrapston packhouse and offices. The Greenery told freshinfo its 20-strong commercial and sales staff will soon be operating from office premises in Huntingdon.
"The restructure means that we will be opening up lines of distribution with our key UK customers directly from our packing facilities in Maasland in the Netherlands," said Regina van Hoof, head of corporate communications at Greenery headquarters in the Netherlands. "Not a lot will change in terms of our relationships with our customers and it will also allow for better usage of packing facilities provided by Greenery UK’s partner organisation in the UK, Humber VHB."
Morrisons expects to offer employment to those packhouse staff remaining at Thrapston who are not transferring with the Greenery to Huntingdon, as well as creating some 300 new jobs at the 14-acre site.
The site will initially be used to pack tomatoes, apples, melons and citrus for distribution to Safeways and Morrisons outlets in southern England and gives the Bradford based chain a vital base closer to many of its newly-acquired stores. "Following our takeover of Safeway we have been looking actively for opportunities to expand our produce packing operation and the site at Thrapston will enable us to do that," said Morrisons production director Martyn Fletcher.
The store is looking to develop the site by adding new warehousing to receive deliveries as well as hold produce packed in Thrapston for onward distribution.
The Greenery was already a supplier of Morrisons and Safeway as well as Sainsbury’s and Tesco and described the sale as a "good fit".
No comments yet