FORTY jobs have been saved in Lanarkshire after a buyer was found for the Dawnfresh Seafoods fish processing plant in Uddingston.
Two hundred people lost their jobs in February when Dawnfresh collapsed into administration, amid unsustainable problems over cash flow. Some 249 jobs were saved with the sale of the group’s RR Spink & Sons of Arbroath to Associated Seafoods, with the future of 77 jobs in doubt after being retained by administrators FRP Advisory to assist with the winding up process.
This morning, it was announced by FRP that it has secured the sale of the Uddingston plan to Peterhead-based Thistle Seafoods as a going concern.
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The site spans more than 100,000 square feet and includes a large industrial unit with processing, warehousing, administration and cold store facilities together with an extensive range of plant and equipment. The deal, which is for an undisclosed sum, sees the immediate transfer of 40 employees to Thistle Seafoods.
In a statement, it was said that Thistle Seafoods would develop the Uddingston site into an advanced added-value seafood processing and distribution centre with ready access to retail and wholesale customers and markets in the UK, European Union and further afield. The new Uddingston facility will complement Thistle’s processing facilities in Peterhead, which supplies seafood products to customers throughout the world.
Callum Carmichael, partner at FRP Advisory and joint administrator, said: “We are delighted to have agreed a sale to Thistle Seafoods, which is very well placed to integrate the site and facilities into their own fast-growing business. It is also particularly rewarding that the deal also includes the transfer of 40 employees. We wish Thistle Seafoods every success with their acquisition and with their plans to develop and grow the business.”
Ryan Scatterty, managing director of Thistle Seafoods, said: “The acquisition of the Uddingston facility is an ideal fit for our business as it will provide us with a strategic processing, storage and distribution hub with ready access to the key transport networks to better serve our domestic customers. It will also allow us to further expand our product offering and capitalise on our fast-growing export markets. We are delighted to welcome an extra 40 staff to our business and plan to recruit further this year as we build our business.”
FRP said that Dawnfresh Farming, which operates seven fish farms in Scotland and Northern Ireland, continues to trade solvently. The business will be formally marketed for sale in the coming months.
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