Bright future in store for growing crisp company

SEABROOK Group, the fast-growing crisp manufacturer, is set to increase the presence of its products in stores this year.

The family-owned business is on a drive to build market share in the highly competitive snack food market and become the nation's favourite crisp.

John Tague, the managing director of Seabrook Group, told the Yorkshire Post: "Morrisons is refreshing its range of crisps in store from February 1 and we have significant gains in terms of more products in more stores.

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"It looks like we will have an increase in space to build our awareness.

"We will go from having a couple of shelves to a full bay. We are expecting a bay in most stores in most of the stores up North and some in the South."

He added: "We have similar activity in Tesco as products and more space, particularly in Yorkshire stores."

The company saw sales rise by 55 per cent last year following a 6m investment in production at its Bradford base. Its market share is now 4.7 per cent.

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For the year ending September 30, Seabrook's turnover rose from 15.3m to 23.8m. The group made a pre-tax profit of 1.4m, up 109 per cent on the previous year.

Industry data shows that Seabrook's crinkle-cut crisps are sixth in the UK behind McCoy, KP, Kettle Chips, own label, and the market leader, Walkers, which leads with a staggering 63 per cent.

From mid-Febuary, the group hopes to be run its two cookers concurrently for the first time. This will lift production to about 180,000 cases of crisps a week.

The group has also installed new robotics to improve the production process.

Seabrook said it buys in

some 60-70 per cent of its potatoes from Yorkshire, with

the rest coming from Cheshire, East Anglia and Devon.

It sources its oil from AAK in Hull.

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The group is owned by Ken Brook-Chrispin, 59. His daughter, Samantha, 22, joined the board last year in July to learn the business.

Seabrook Group holds the Guinness world record for the largest packet of crisps in the world.