New owners for major cakes and desserts facility in Hull

Bright Blue Foods has made a significant acquisition

A major food production site in Yorkshire has gained new owners.

Bright Blue Foods Ltd (BBF) has agreed to acquire the Cakes and Desserts Facility in Hull from Greencore PLC for an undisclosed sum. BBF was acquired in

September 2015 by the Leeds-based private equity investor, Endless.

Completion of the sale is expected in early February 2018 following a TUPE consultation process with Greencore Hull employees.

A spokesman said: “The Hull site will trade under the name of BBF (Hull) Ltd. The combined business will have turnover in excess of £140m per annum and employ more than 2,000 people across five sites and will be led by Jonathan Lill as CEO, supported by the BBF board of directors.

Jonathan Lill, CEO of BBF, said: “This is a really exciting time for our company, our people and our customers. The product range and customer base from both businesses are very complementary.

“BBF is entirely focused on the bakery sector and this acquisition will be transformational for our business. We are committed to continue to invest in the

category and deliver great quality, service and innovation to our customers.”

Richard Harrison, Investment Director at Endless, said: “We have assembled an outstanding management team at BBF, led by Jonathan. This acquisition will double the size of BBF and will enable the business to maximise opportunities in this category through its enhanced product offering and scale.

“We are delighted to support BBF with this deal, which once again showcases our expertise in acquiring non-core assets from large corporates and is a great way to

start 2018.”

The Endless LLP deal team was led by James Woolley and Richard Harrison, supported by Lee Abbott.

BBF and Endless were advised by Addleshaw Goddard (Duncan Wilson, Katie Parker, Dominic McLean and Rebekah Fisher), Forbes Solicitors (Emma Swan) and the tax team at KPMG (Steven Heath and Nilesh Patel).

Management were advised by Bond Dickinson (Simon Pilling and James Cook).

The sellers were advised by Eversheds Sutherland (Amanda Partland and Jonathan Wharam) and Stamford Partners (Rob Iseman and Michael Bunting).