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Food & Drink 1999
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The information below comes from the UK Activity Report.
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Perkins Foods, the chilled food manufacturer, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed company. 28-Dec-1999 Glanbia has completed the reorganisation of its Irish and UK divisions into separate units, in order to improve the market focus of its dairy and food products business. 23-Dec-1999 S&A Foods is creating 100 more jobs at its ready-made meals factory in Derby, and is also considering plans to build an additional factory nearby. 20-Dec-1999 Webbs Country Foods has invested £5m in new poultry processing facilities at its Corby site, but will close its Winchester and Chichester operations. 20-Dec-1999 Redcar Council has announced that work has started on the development of the £1.2m South Tees Imperial Food Park, which aims to house a cluster of food manufacturers and create 400 jobs. 16-Dec-1999 Fyffes is aiming to become the largest fresh produce company in the world, following the completion of a deal to buy 50% of Capespan of South Africa. 15-Dec-1999 Gordon Jopling, the Barnsley-based food products group, is to invest £2m in new production facilities, new offices and a development laboratory, with the creation of 40 jobs. 14-Dec-1999 HP Bulmer is to set up a cider manufacturing business in China, in partnership with the San Kong brewery in the city of Qufu. 14-Dec-1999 Chivers Hartley is to combine its Histon and Bury jam factories under a single management team, and 40 jobs will be cut. 11-Dec-1999 West Devon Meat is considering plans to close its abattoir in Hatherleigh with the loss of 60 jobs, having lost a government contract. 10-Dec-1999 Edinburgh Smoked Salmon Company of Dingwall is to spend £2.5m on a new cold store and production facility, with the creation of 60 jobs. 10-Dec-1999 Compass expects to create 1,000 jobs in the UK over the next 18 months, in an ongoing expansion of its catering business. 10-Dec-1999 Perkins Frozen Foods is to invest £2.5m in its poultry products business with the creation of 200 jobs, and is due to open a new factory in Cleator Moor over the next few weeks. 09-Dec-1999 Richmond Foods is investing £2m at its ice cream factory in Leeds, with the creation of 50 jobs. 09-Dec-1999 Grampian Country Foods is to cut at least 600 jobs at plants throughout the country next month, due to reduced output in its pigmeat processing business. 08-Dec-1999 Premier Fresh Foods is to cut a further 100 jobs, in order to improve the efficiency at its Scunthorpe-based poultry business. 08-Dec-1999 Whitbread is considering plans to leave its headquarters in the City of London, as the site is too big for the 100 staff. 06-Dec-1999 Hazlewood Foods is to open a new sandwich factory in Worksop and a new bakery in Hull. 06-Dec-1999 Allied Bakeries is to close its Northfield bakery in Aberdeen with the loss of 50 jobs, and the site will be used as a depot and field sales operation. 01-Dec-1999 Guinness is to set up a new global headquarters at Park Royal in London, as part of a £250m joint venture with London & Regional Properties. 29-Nov-1999 Cadbury Schweppes is cutting 600 jobs at its Birmingham chocolate business, as a scheme to find 360 voluntary redundancies was oversubscribed. 26-Nov-1999 Wells Soft Drinks is to cut 100 of the 250 jobs at its Swan Valley Business Park headquarters in Northampton. 25-Nov-1999 Carriages Continental Breads has moved production to a new bakery in Bradford, in order to increase output by five-fold and sell to delicatessens across the north of England. 24-Nov-1999 Framptons is forming a joint venture with Quality Egg Products to supply egg-based food ingredients, which will be based in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. 20-Nov-1999 Authentic Indian Foods is building a 30,000 sq ft factory in Manchester as part of a plan to treble in size over the next five years. 20-Nov-1999 Unilever is to cut 260 of the 600 jobs at its Arkady Craigmiller bakery on Merseyside, in order to reduce costs. 20-Nov-1999 Portsmouth Water is setting up a bottled water plant using water from the springs in Bedhampton, in order to sell water coolers to offices and workplaces under the Seven Springs name. 20-Nov-1999 Eurostock Meat Marketing is investing £1.3m in a new production area at its factory in Newry having won a contract to supply meat products to the US, and 23 jobs will be created. 18-Nov-1999 East Midlands Development Agency is supporting plans from OCG Cacao of France to open a £8.5m chocolate factory in Worksop next year, with the creation of 50 jobs. 17-Nov-1999 Shearway is planning to build a £6m head office and pallet cold store for its frozen fruit and vegetables business near Maidstone. 13-Nov-1999 Cadbury Schweppes is said to be interested in bidding for Warner-Lambert's confectionery business, which is expected to be sold off by the US drugs group after the completion of its current takeover battle. 13-Nov-1999 Whitehaven Development Company is planning a £2.2m project to improve the facilities offered to fishing vessels using Whitehaven's harbour, including a new ice plant and fish handling hall. 12-Nov-1999 Memory Lane Cakes is to create about 200 jobs at its Cardiff cakes factory, but its Warrington factory will be closed in February with the loss of up to 500 jobs. 11-Nov-1999 Express Dairies is closing dairies in Birmingham, Hyde and Salisbury with the loss of 800 jobs, and has also announced plans to trial doorstep deliveries of bulky household goods. 11-Nov-1999 Robert Wiseman Dairies is starting work on a new £30m dairy and depot near Birmingham, and completion is due in 2001. 10-Nov-1999 Associated British Foods is planning to use its £1bn cash pile to make acquisitions, and aims to increase its focus on food manufacturing and withdraw from sectors with overcapacity. 09-Nov-1999 Nene Valley Foods is investing £3.5m in a new dairy near Peterborough, in order to expand the manufacturing activities of the Milk Group co-operative. 06-Nov-1999 Freshway Foods, the sandwich and seafood company, has opened a new £2.5m office and factory complex in Wolverhampton, and the workforce is rising from 120 to 250. 06-Nov-1999 Milk Marque has confirmed plans to split into three regional producer co-operatives by next April, and it may set up regional headquarters at existing offices in Plymouth and Newcastle-under-Lyme. 06-Nov-1999 Tate & Lyle is looking to sell a number of non-core operations, including the UMT agricultural machinery business, and the Rumenco and FSL Bells animal feed businesses. 05-Nov-1999 ED&F Man is in negotiations to sell its agricultural commodities division to management for about £70m, in order to focus on financial services. 05-Nov-1999 The British Food Heritage Trust has announced plans for a £40m national centre for the culinary arts in Stafford, which is expected to attract about 1m visitors a year and create 1,000 jobs. 04-Nov-1999 Sun Valley Foods is creating a further 80 jobs at its prepared meals factory in Wolverhampton. 02-Nov-1999 Unilever is selling its hard cheeses business, which includes the British Creameries factory at West Marton, to Yieldingtree for undisclosed terms. 01-Nov-1999 Ethnic Cuisine is to create 300 jobs at its prepared meals factory in Swansea, which will double the workforce to 600 by the end of next year. 29-Oct-1999 Albert Fisher has called off a previously-announced merger between its Freshpoint business in the US and Fresh America, following a sharp fall in Fresh America's share price. 29-Oct-1999 Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries is to acquire Mansfield Brewery for £253m, which will expand its pub estate by 513 to 2,268. 26-Oct-1999 The Welsh Development Agency is building a £2.2m cheese storage and packing facility at Felinfach near Lampeter for Aeron Valley Cheese, and 75 jobs will be created. 23-Oct-1999 Bure Valley Foods has bought the Lion Speciality Foods production facility in Buxton, Derbyshire. 23-Oct-1999 Original Eastern Foods is seeking to establish a £4m site for small food manufacturers in the Nottingham area, in order to provide shared facilities for new businesses that lack funds and space. 22-Oct-1999 Grimsby Fish Dock Enterprises is to set up new chilling facilities to create the UK's largest low-temperature fish auction room. 21-Oct-1999 Linden Foods is investing £5.7m to improve facilities at its Northern Ireland meat processing plants in Newtownards and Dungannon, with the creation of up to 70 jobs. 20-Oct-1999 British Bakeries is to close its Londonderry bakery with the loss of 90 jobs, although discussions have taken place about a possible workers buy-out. 20-Oct-1999 Hays has won food distribution contracts worth a total of £50m from Kentucky Fried Chicken, Haagen Daz Cafes, and Yates Wine Lodges, which will lead to the creation of 400 jobs. 18-Oct-1999 HP Foods is to cut 62 of the 180 jobs at its Aston Cross plant in Birmingham, following a £0.8m investment in new equipment. 16-Oct-1999 Cadwalader is to set up a new ice cream parlour at the Mermaid Quay development in Cardiff Bay, and is also looking to open other facilities in south Wales and the north-west of England. 16-Oct-1999 St Ivel is to cut up to 128 jobs at its desserts and yoghurt factory in Chichester, in order to transfer some of the manufacturing operations to other sites such as Evercreech in Somerset. 15-Oct-1999 Mersey Docks & Harbour has opened a £36m refrigerated fresh fruit terminal at the Kent port of Sheerness. 15-Oct-1999 Geest is planning to merge its imported fruit business with the UK branch of the New Zealand apple and pear marketing board, which will make it easier to supply retailers throughout the year. 15-Oct-1999 Tamarind Touch is to set up a new facility near Mansfield to prepare Indian foods for sale in pubs and restaurants, with the creation of 22 jobs. 14-Oct-1999 Heinz is planning to close its salad cream factory in Harlesden next year with the loss of 450 jobs. 14-Oct-1999 Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries is considering plans to bid for Mansfield Brewery, but may face a rival offer from a management team. 13-Oct-1999 Ronas Fisheries is in merger discussions with L Williamson to create a combined Shetland-based fish processing business employing 110 people. 09-Oct-1999 Leckpatrick Dairies has announced plans to sell its animal feed and fertiliser business in Northern Ireland to J Bibby Agriculture, which could result in the loss of 16 jobs at Killyman. 09-Oct-1999 Tenderlean Meats has rebuilt its meat processing plant in Fermanagh following a fire last year, and work will soon begin on a £0.5m extension. 08-Oct-1999 The government has selected Aberdeen as the location for the proposed Scottish wing of the Food Standards Agency, and about 40 jobs will be created. 07-Oct-1999 RF Brookes has appointed Beck & Pollitzer Engineering to provide production equipment relocation and installation services, as it relocates its chilled foods factory from Newport to a new £40m facility at nearby Risca. 07-Oct-1999 United Biscuits has rejected a £600m takeover offer from management for its snacks and frozen food divisions. 07-Oct-1999 Golden Wonder is to close the retail sales depot at its Scunthorpe factory site in order to utilise the space for storage. 05-Oct-1999 United Biscuits is considering plans to sell its frozen and chilled foods business in smaller parts, due to a lack of interest in acquiring the whole division. 02-Oct-1999 Cadbury Schweppes is to cut 360 jobs at three factories, including 263 in Bournville, 53 in Avon and 47 in Clwyd. 02-Oct-1999 East Staffordshire Borough Council is to consider plans from MJ Barrett Developments to build a factory to process dry food ingredients at Dovefields, which would create 40 jobs. 02-Oct-1999 Allied Distillers has awarded a £10m contract to HBG for the development of production and office facilities in Dumbarton. 30-Sep-1999 Chequer Foods is to close its Trentpak drinks packing facility near Maldon with the loss of 70 jobs. 29-Sep-1999 Shepherd Neame has launched a £15m takeover approach for King & Barnes, the Horsham-based brewery with 57 pubs. 29-Sep-1999 Hazlewood Foods is closing its pre-packed cooked meat factories in Basildon and Milton Keynes with the loss of 457 jobs, due to falling demand and rising imports. 28-Sep-1999 Diageo is selling two of its Metaxa and Asbach spirits to Bols of the Netherlands for £121m, while Cinzano is being sold to Campari of Italy. 27-Sep-1999 Norpak Food Services has invested £3.5m in the expansion of its cold storage facility at Eccleshall in Staffordshire, creating 50 jobs. 25-Sep-1999 Moy Park is to close its poultry plant in Southport with the loss of 190 jobs due to increasing competition, and may transfer some workers to plants in Northern Ireland. 24-Sep-1999 Brake Bros is looking to spend up to £100m on acquisitions and is particularly interested in expanding its fresh fish business. 23-Sep-1999 Express Dairies is to close its Salisbury dairy with the loss of 190 jobs, and production will be transferred to Ruislip. 22-Sep-1999 Unilever is to shed a further 1,200 brands from its food and personal care businesses, in order to focus on 400 core products. 22-Sep-1999 Bass is to sell its 33% stake in Czech brewer Radegast to Nomura Securities, and Nomura aims to create the largest brewer in central Europe by merging it with Plzensky Prazdroj. 22-Sep-1999 E Park & Sons is planning a £1.7m expansion at its Epworth potato packing plant in North Lincolnshire, with the creation of 20 jobs. 21-Sep-1999 Diageo is to sell its Vecchia Romagna brandy in Italy to Montenegro for undisclosed terms. 21-Sep-1999 Punch Taverns is to close 24 microbreweries that came with the chain of pubs acquired from Allied Domecq, in order to avoid being capped on the number of pubs it can own. 21-Sep-1999 Geest is to invest £40m in the expansion of its chilled foods business this year and £50m next year, and has set up a new fish processing facility in north London. 18-Sep-1999 Palmer & Harvey McLane is to set up a new Snowking chilled and frozen food distribution centre in Fareham, but its Reading site will be scaled down with the loss of up to 50 jobs. 18-Sep-1999 Milk Marque has confirmed plans to break itself up into three independent co-operatives from next April. 18-Sep-1999 Tate & Lyle is selling its 80% stake in Orsan, the French monosodium glutamate company, to Aginomoto of Japan for undisclosed terms, as part of a strategy to dispose on non-core assets. 18-Sep-1999 Allied Domecq is investing £100m in South Korea by acquiring a 70% stake in a spirits distribution joint venture with Jinro. 18-Sep-1999 The government has indicated that the proposed Scottish Food Standards Agency will be based in either Aberdeen or Dundee, with the creation of up to 45 jobs. 17-Sep-1999 Sauce Company is planning a £10m expansion at its soups and sauces factory in Scunthorpe, with the creation of 100 new jobs. 16-Sep-1999 Bernard Matthews is looking to recruit 100 new workers for its poultry processing plants in Halesworth and Great Witchingham. 16-Sep-1999 Humphrey Holdings is to close its hen farm near Winchester with the loss of 12 jobs, but its feed mill and egg-packing plant will be unaffected. 16-Sep-1999 Hazlewood Foods has opened a £4m chilled sauces factory in Bristol for its R&B Foods division, while its previous factory will be refurbished to test new products. 15-Sep-1999 Frontline Foods is to shed all 200 jobs at its poultry processing plant in Great Yarmouth following a recent fire, and production will be transferred to sites in Yorkshire. 15-Sep-1999 Pritchitt Foods is cutting 70 of the 240 jobs at its dairy products factory in Newtownards, Northern Ireland, in order to remain competitive. 15-Sep-1999 Peterhead Harbour Authority is planning to build a state-of-the-art deep water fish market at the site of the new Merchants Quay. 14-Sep-1999 Premier Fresh Foods of Scunthorpe has opened a £4m chicken farm near Sherwood Forest in order to supply a major order from Tesco. 10-Sep-1999 Devro is to shed jobs in the US and Belgium in order to reduce costs in its sausage skins business by £15m a year, but capital expenditure will be increased to £20m a year. 10-Sep-1999 Macaw is planning to build a new soft drinks factory at Nelson in Lancashire, with the creation of 100 jobs. 10-Sep-1999 Hibernia Foods is seeking an additional 40 workers for its frozen meals factory in Hartlepool. 09-Sep-1999 Wilson Bowden has won a contract from Benson Box to build a £20m food production plant at the Interlink Business Park in Leicester. 09-Sep-1999 Tomkins is planning to auction its Ranks Hovis McDougall food business over the next two months, having rejected an approach from US private equity house Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst. 09-Sep-1999 Milk Marque is in discussions with the government about a possible structural change that would allow it to expand into cheese and yoghurt manufacturing. 07-Sep-1999 Perkins Foods is planning to spend £12m over the next six months in order to expand capacity to produce convenience foods. 04-Sep-1999 Sun Valley Foods is creating 200 additional jobs at its poultry plants in Hereford and Wales, due to a rise in demand. 27-Aug-1999 MMD Shipping Services is considering plans to cut 30 jobs at its Portsmouth-based fruit import business, following the loss of a contract to handle bananas for Fyffes. 19-Aug-1999 Allied Domecq is to close its Portland Place headquarters in London with the loss of 100 jobs, while 20 staff will transfer to the spirits and wine division in Bristol. 18-Aug-1999 Express Dairies is seeking permission to introduce in-house bottling at its Sheffield Park dairy in Uckfield in partnership with Tetrapak, and the £11m project would create 50 jobs. 16-Aug-1999 Highland Distillers has received a takeover approach, which is thought to have come from Edrington, the private company that already holds a 28% stake in Highland. 14-Aug-1999 United Biscuits is looking to sell its frozen and chilled foods business for up to £250m, in order to focus on biscuits and snacks. 09-Aug-1999 Cadbury Schweppes is in negotiations to acquire Dr Pepper Bottling Company of Texas as part of a strategy to create a nationwide soft drinks bottling operation in the US. 07-Aug-1999 Geest is forming a joint venture with QV Foods to create the largest supplier of potatoes to Marks & Spencer, under the name Geest QV. 04-Aug-1999 Ralston Purina is cutting 90 jobs at its Cornard petfoods plant in Sunbury, and production is being transferred to the refurbished Chilton plant. 31-Jul-1999 Rustler Produce is to invest £2m in a new onion processing facility at its Chatteris site. 31-Jul-1999 Isleport Foods is planning a 20,000 sq ft expansion at its patisserie factory in Highbridge, Somerset. 31-Jul-1999 Unigate is cutting 95 jobs at its Ossett Foods meat processing factory in Yorkshire, due to the effect of cheap pork imports from Europe. 30-Jul-1999 Trouw has acquired BOCM Pauls' fish feed mill in Renfrew for undisclosed terms, which will compliment its existing facilities in Invergordon and Longridge. 29-Jul-1999 Mansfield Brewery has announced that two shareholders are considering plans to sell their 48% stake, which could lead to a takeover bid for the whole company. 27-Jul-1999 Compass has won a £11m contract to provide catering services to the Crown Cork & Seal packaging group across Europe. 26-Jul-1999 Henry Boot has won a £6.3m contract to build catering facilities at London's Millennium Dome. 22-Jul-1999 Dawnfresh Seafoods has announced that its £8.5m plant in Uddingston has been destroyed by fire, and the company is seeking alternative premises. 19-Jul-1999 Golden Vale is to invest £14m in a Rye Valley Foods plant in Enniskillen with the creation of 130 jobs, in order to manufacture a new range of frozen prepared foods. 19-Jul-1999 Whitbread is opening a £12m beer bottling line at Samlesbury, said to be the fastest in northern Europe. 16-Jul-1999 Greene King has raised its offer for rival brewer Morland to £182m, and Wolverhampton & Dudley has now pulled out of the bidding. 16-Jul-1999 Milk Marque has won approval from Mid-Devon council to build a £50m milk processing plant in Cullompton, which will enable it to dispose of surplus milk. 16-Jul-1999 HP Bulmer is seeking deals with foreign companies to expand its international cider business, which is expected to lead to its founding family relinquishing control. 14-Jul-1999 Berkshire Foods is to relocate its snacks factory from Hook to Gosport with the creation of 20 jobs. 13-Jul-1999 Perkins Frozen Foods is planning to build a factory to make frozen chicken products at Cleator Moor in Cumbria. 10-Jul-1999 Tomkins is considering plans to demerge its Ranks Hovis McDougall food division, in order to focus on construction and industrial engineering. 10-Jul-1999 Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries has launched a £173m takeover offer for Abingdon-based brewer Morland, which beats a recent offer from Greene King. 10-Jul-1999 Swallow is selling two of its beer brands for about £0.5m - with Young's buying the Waggle Dance ale and Wolverhampton & Dudley buying Scorpion lager. 08-Jul-1999 Northern Foods is to spend £20m transferring quiche production from Nottingham to Manchester and expanding pizza production in Nottingham, while its bread business will be restructured with the loss of 160 jobs in Milton Keynes. 07-Jul-1999 Kepac is seeking 200 additional workers following a £10m investment in a new meat packaging plant near Preston. 06-Jul-1999 Cadbury Schweppes is in discussions to sell its South African beverages business to Coca-Cola. 05-Jul-1999 HP Bulmer, the cider company, has awarded a £4m contract to Claremont for the refurbishment of its headquarters in Hereford. 02-Jul-1999 Hibernia Foods has won approval to expand its frozen ready meals factory in Hartlepool at a cost of £2.4m, and expects to create 126 jobs. 02-Jul-1999 United Biscuits is in discussions with Legal & General Ventures to combine its seafood operations with L&G's Bluecrest business, and the new company would be called Youngs Bluecrest Seafood. 02-Jul-1999 Inter Link Foods is to invest £0.5m at its bakeries in Blackburn and Oldham over the coming year, in order to improve productivity. 01-Jul-1999 Tetley is looking to sell its US coffee business for about £75m, in order to focus on the expansion of its tea operations. 28-Jun-1999 Scottish Enterprise has announced a strategy to add a further 6,000 jobs to Scotland's food and drink industry, by encouraging collaboration between producers, suppliers, distributors and retailers. 24-Jun-1999 Maclays of Alloa is to close its Thistle Brewery in September in order to outsource beer production to Belhaven of Dunbar and to a new small-scale brewery in Alloa. 24-Jun-1999 Pointing is planning to cut 20 of the 100 jobs at its food dyes factory in Prudhoe, Northumberland, following its acquisition by US Universal Foods. 23-Jun-1999 Thistle Confectionery is to set up a confectionery factory at New Leeds in Aberdeenshire, creating an initial 15 jobs. 22-Jun-1999 AstraZeneca is forming a joint venture with Japan Tobacco in order to grow paddy fields of transgenic rice. 22-Jun-1999 Wing Kong is raising £1m in a share issue to set up a Chinese frozen meals factory in Merseyside. 19-Jun-1999 J Wild is relocating its bakery business to new premises in Steeton near Keighley with the creation of 50 jobs, in order to expand production of its biscuit gift ranges. 18-Jun-1999 Horizon Biscuit Company is to invest £7.6m in the expansion of its biscuits factory in Harlow, installing new high-capacity equipment to replace two 40-year-old lines. 18-Jun-1999 Unilever is planning to regain full control of its Chinese operations by setting up a single shareholding company to replace a series of joint ventures. 17-Jun-1999 Rubicon Beverages is to build a factory to make cartons of fruit juice at Tredegar in South Wales. 16-Jun-1999 RF Brookes is setting up a £40m chilled ready meals factory at Risca near Newport, with the creation of up to 450 jobs. 15-Jun-1999 The Institute of Arable Crops Research is conducting a review of its plant science research, which could lead to the closure of its Long Ashton Research Station in Bristol with the loss of 200 jobs. 11-Jun-1999 Mersley Farms, the garlic and sweetcorn company on the Isle of Wight, has been placed on the market for a reported £1.75m, which could lead to the loss of about 80 jobs. 11-Jun-1999 ED&F Man is to scale back its network of offices worldwide due to a downturn in its agricultural products business. 11-Jun-1999 Exel Logistics is to relocate its chilled food distribution depot in Stoke-on-Trent to the nearby NFC warehouse, which will involve the transfer of 250 staff and the creation of a further 100 jobs. 10-Jun-1999 SK Chilled Foods is to receive an undisclosed investment from London-based Authentic Speciality Foods, which is owned by the US Entrepreneurial Food Group, in order to provide funding for the expansion of its ethnic meals business. 10-Jun-1999 Unilever has warned that 2,000 jobs could be at risk if the Competition Commission forces the company to dismantle its Walls' ice cream distribution business. 10-Jun-1999 Unigate is to cut 220 jobs at its St Ivel fresh foods business, in addition to the 350 jobs being lost by the closure of its Spalding pigmeat plant. 08-Jun-1999 McCormick of the US is to shed 300 jobs in its spices business, including cuts at its headquarters in Buckinghamshire and factory in Paisley. 08-Jun-1999 Glanbia is planning to expand its pigmeat processing plant in West Bromwich, using funds generated by the sale of its milk operations. 05-Jun-1999 Peel & Bowler, the Newark-based manufacturer of chocolate products, has gone into voluntary liquidation with the loss of 30 jobs. 03-Jun-1999 Eldridge Pope is to close its loss-making beer trading division and is in negotiations to sell its wine operations, in order to focus on the development of its estate of managed pubs. 02-Jun-1999 Hillsdown has received a £816m takeover offer from the Candover venture capital group, which beats a rival bid from Hicks Muse Tate & Furst of the US. 29-May-1999 Greene King is in talks to acquire rival brewer Morland in a £140m deal, casting doubt over the future of Morland's Abingdon brewery. 29-May-1999 Sutton Harbour Holdings, the operator of Plymouth harbour, is to launch an online fish auction in order to increase its share of the £500m wholesale fish market. 29-May-1999 Bure Valley Foods, the cooked meats products company, has sold an undisclosed stake in the company to Dutch food group Royal Wessanen, and has also announced that 100 jobs will be created at a new plant in North Walsham later this year. 28-May-1999 Tetley, the teabag company, has been approached by a number of companies interested in making a bid, and the leading contenders are said to be Tata Tea of India and Sara Lee of the US. 27-May-1999 Hilton Meat Products is to invest £1.5m in the expansion of its factory in Carrickfergus, with the creation of 20 jobs. 26-May-1999 Young & Co is to acquire a 9% stake in Bristol-based Smiles Holdings, in order to provide funding for Smiles to develop its brewery and 16 pubs. 26-May-1999 Jourdan, the consumer goods company, has launched a £22m takeover offer for Sims Food, as part of a strategy to set up a food division. 26-May-1999 Caddick Construction has won a £2m contract to build a confectionery and tobacco distribution centre in Leeds for WH & HM Young. 25-May-1999 Cadbury Schweppes has renegotiated a deal to sell its non-US soft drinks operations to Coca-Cola due to problems with regulatory authorities, and it will now exclude most of western Europe. 25-May-1999 Lyndale Foods is acquiring Maison Blanc, the patisserie company, for £12m, as part of a strategy to develop a national group of regional bakery chains. 25-May-1999 Anglo Beef Processors is to cut 40 jobs at its meat packing factory at Blisworth, Northants, in order to transfer some of the production to a new factory in Shropshire. 24-May-1999 Whitbread is preparing a £2.3bn bid for Allied Domecq's pubs and off-licences. 22-May-1999 Nestle is to reorganise its powdered milk business with the loss of 207 jobs, and plants affected include Omagh, Dumfries and Dalston. 21-May-1999 Dromona Quality Foods has opened a £2m evaporation unit at its milk plant in Cookstown, which will enable it to generate powdered milk exports of £60m a year. 20-May-1999 The University of Reading is to set up a centre of expertise for the food industry, which will be one of several government-funded Regional Food Technology Transfer Centres being built around the country. 20-May-1999 Geest is to spend £40m supporting its sales of fresh prepared foods this year, and two new factories are due to open in the summer. 20-May-1999 Compass has won a £400m contract to provide catering services to the Australian armed forces. 19-May-1999 Robert Wiseman Dairies has identified a site near Birmingham where it plans to build a new dairy by summer 2001, as part of a strategy to expand its business further south. 18-May-1999 Hillsdown has received a £464m takeover approach from Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, the US private equity company, but Hillsdown's executive directors are said to be preparing a management buy-out to top the offer. 15-May-1999 Moray Poultry has gone into liquidation due to the effect of cheap imports, and 70 jobs will be lost with the closure of its chicken factory near Inverness. 14-May-1999 Scottish & Newcastle is closing its cask ales brewery in Bristol with the loss of 71 jobs, and production will be transferred to Tadcaster. 14-May-1999 Sims Food, the meat processor, has received an unsolicited takeover approach from an unnamed company. 14-May-1999 Tate & Lyle has warned that plans to cut costs in its UK sugar business by up to £15m a year could lead to job cuts. 12-May-1999 Samworth Brothers has opened a £11m sandwich making facility called Melton Foods in Melton Mowbray. 08-May-1999 Unilever's Birds Eye Wall's division may be forced to separate its ice cream distribution business following an inquiry by the Competition Commission into anti-competitive practices. 07-May-1999 Bronte Foods, the West Yorkshire-based poultry processor, has been acquired by its management. 05-May-1999 Albert Fisher is to receive a £20m windfall from the merger of Freshpoint Holdings, the former US fresh foods subsidiary in which it has a 20% stake, with Fresh America. 05-May-1999 Unilever is looking to dispose of more of its 1,800 brands in order to focus on leading brands that provide the greatest value. 05-May-1999 SK Chilled Foods is to invest £2m in the expansion of its South Bank factory on Teesside, and has also announced the acquisition of ethnic food firm Muskaan of Middlesbrough for undisclosed terms. 04-May-1999 Unilever has won approval to launch the first cholesterol-reducing spread in the US, and hopes that approval from the European Commission will follow soon. 03-May-1999 Cadbury Schweppes has had its plan to sell its non-US soft drinks business to Coca-Cola rejected by the Mexican competition authorities, which follows similar vetoes in Australia and Belgium. 01-May-1999 Unigate is planning a £2m expansion at its dairy in Totnes, including a larger milk cold store and a new administrative complex. 30-Apr-1999 Birds Eye Wall's has closed its fish fingers factory in Grimsby, and production has been transferred to a larger facility in Hull. 30-Apr-1999 Diageo is looking to sell four leading European drinks brands, including Cinzano, Metaxa, Asbach and Vecchia Romagna, and has also announced the sale of four ouzo brands to Campari for undisclosed terms. 28-Apr-1999 Unilever, Nestle and Tesco have both announced plans to remove genetically modified ingredients from their products. 28-Apr-1999 Chiltern Hills has opened a £1m mineral water bottling line in Hertfordshire. 24-Apr-1999 McCormick Europe is to close the Noel's sauces and herbs factory in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, with the loss of 60 jobs, and production will be transferred to other plants in Paisley and Buckinghamshire. 22-Apr-1999 Hazlewood Foods is cutting 80 jobs at its factory in Wrexham. 20-Apr-1999 British Sugar is planning to build a £35m power generator at its Cantley plant in Norfolk. 19-Apr-1999 Moy Park has opened a £13m poultry processing plant in Dungannon, creating 200 jobs. 17-Apr-1999 Trebor Bassett is to reorganise its confectionery business by creating two new divisions, realigning its production, and developing new product ranges. 17-Apr-1999 Diageo's United Distillers & Vintners subsidiary is to shed a further 90 jobs in Scotland next year as it combines several departments to create a new Brand Technical Centre, based at Menstrie near Alloa. 16-Apr-1999 Cadbury Schweppes is buying the Hawaiian Punch tropical fruit drink from Procter & Gamble for £126m, and will combine it with its Dr Pepper and Seven-Up operation in the US. 16-Apr-1999 Terranova has won a contract worth about £9m a year to supply chicken products to Kentucky Fried Chicken, and expects the deal to strengthen its fight against Unigate's hostile takeover bid. 16-Apr-1999 Walker Midshire Foods has spent £3.5m doubling the size of its cold meats factory in Leicester, which employs 280 people. 15-Apr-1999 Asda has awarded a £1.5m contract to the Jubilee Fishing Company of Grimsby, which will involve four of Jubilee's trawlers catching cod under the Asda flag. 15-Apr-1999 Cadbury Schweppes has reached agreement to exchange soft drinks brands in Australia with Coca-Cola, as part of a strategy to withdraw from soft drinks markets outside the US. 15-Apr-1999 SA Brain has agreed to acquire the Bass brewery in Cardiff, and its existing brewery in St Mary Street will be converted into a retail centre. 13-Apr-1999 Stevenson & Company is planning to spend £1.8m on the expansion of its Cullybackey pork products factory in Northern Ireland, with the creation of 30 jobs. 13-Apr-1999 Nestle is discussing the possible sale of its Findus frozen food brand to Scandinavian investor group EQT. 13-Apr-1999 Diageo has invited offers for its 89% stake in Cruzcampo, the Spanish brewer, and possible purchasers are said to include Damm of Barcelona and Heineken of the Netherlands. 13-Apr-1999 Van den Bergh Foods has awarded a contract to Seafield Holdings to build and operate a distribution centre in Worksop. 10-Apr-1999 Tetley, the teabags company, has received two takeover approaches, and Sara Lee of the US is said to be one of the interested companies. 10-Apr-1999 Swallow is expected to close its Sunderland and Sheffield breweries in July, following the rejection of a management buy-out proposal. 03-Apr-1999 The West Midlands Regional Development Agency is planning to set up a £25m food heritage centre in Stafford, which will create 150 jobs and attract 500,000 visitors a year. 01-Apr-1999 British Bakeries is to close the former Burnett's Bakery in Inverness with the loss of 40 jobs, although it will retain a distribution depot in the town. 01-Apr-1999 The government has dropped plans to sell the New Covent Garden fruit and vegetable market in London, following protests from local authorities and traders. 01-Apr-1999 Terranova, the manufacturer of chilled convenience foods, is seeking a friendly bidder to help it fight off a £229m approach from Unigate. 31-Mar-1999 Highland Distillers is forming a global drinks distribution alliance with Jim Beam Brands Worldwide and Remy-Cointreau, and the operation will be managed independently from Amsterdam. 31-Mar-1999 St Ivel is planning to cut up to 80 of the 300 jobs at its dairy products factory in Wootton Bassett, in order to improve efficiency. 30-Mar-1999 Diageo has bought back 4% of its shares from LVMH, the French luxury goods group that is raising £1bn to help fight for control of Gucci. 27-Mar-1999 Golden Vale is to invest £28m in the expansion of its Rye Valley Food prepared meals factory at Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. 27-Mar-1999 Nestle is to close its Sarsons vinegar factory in Stourport with the loss of 22 jobs, as production is being centralised at its larger plant near Oldham. 26-Mar-1999 Allied Domecq is selling its 50% stake in the Panrico bakery business in Spain to its partner for £80m. 26-Mar-1999 Diageo is looking to sell Cruzcampo, the Spanish brewing business which could be worth more than £400m. 25-Mar-1999 University of Teesside is opening a £0.6m food centre in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture, in order to provide training and advice to the region's food and drink industry. 24-Mar-1999 Swallow has pulled out of talks on a management buy-out of two former Vaux breweries and 350 pubs, which could lead to the closure of the Sunderland and Sheffield breweries. 24-Mar-1999 La Glacerie is planning to build a new factory to make ice-cream cakes for caterers in Ashford, Kent, with the creation of 35 jobs. 22-Mar-1999 Muller Dairy has announced plans to double the size of its dairy factory in Market Drayton with the creation of 250 jobs, and has only just completed work on a £24m extension. 19-Mar-1999 Northern Foods is said to be considering the future of Dale Farm's Castlereagh ice cream plant in Belfast, prompting speculation that 100 jobs could be lost. 19-Mar-1999 Virgin is investing a further £9.7m in its cola business in order to expand market share and reduce losses. 18-Mar-1999 Ginsters is to invest £10m in the expansion of its Lynher Bakery at Callington, with the creation of 80 jobs. 17-Mar-1999 Crisp Malting Group is planning a £7m expansion at the Portgordon Maltings in Buckie, Moray. 17-Mar-1999 Whitchurch Group has sold its remaining meat processing and pet food operations to a company formed for the purpose, and is now considering plans to transform itself into a film and TV production company. 16-Mar-1999 Terranova, the chilled foods company, has rejected a £229m takeover approach from Unigate. 16-Mar-1999 WA Turner is cutting 45 jobs at its Prepared Food Group factory in Tunbridge Wells due to a slowdown in orders. 12-Mar-1999 Mission Foods of the US is to set up a Mexican foods factory in Coventry, creating 300 jobs. 12-Mar-1999 United Biscuits is discussing plans for a joint venture between its Young's seafoods operation and Bluecrest Seafood. 12-Mar-1999 BG Foods, the chilled and frozen desserts company, has awarded a £4m contract to Randall Construction to build a food production plant in Newton Abbot, Devon. 11-Mar-1999 Terranova is looking for acquisitions to expand its chilled convenience foods business in continental Europe. 11-Mar-1999 Merck Environment and Hygiene Analytics has set up a new facility at the Imperial Park in Newport, Wales, to develop systems to test food and food areas for contamination. 10-Mar-1999 Kerry is seeking acquisitions to expand its food business in continental Europe. 10-Mar-1999 SA Brain is in negotiations to acquire a Cardiff brewery from Bass, but Brain is itself facing a takeover bid from a local businessman aiming to create a national brewery for Wales. 09-Mar-1999 Sundora is planning to expand its dried fruit packing factory in Pocklington. 09-Mar-1999 WD Meats is investing £2.3m in a new production facility for retail meat products in Coleraine, and expects to create 20 jobs. 09-Mar-1999 Fane Valley Co-operative Society has acquired the remaining stake in Whites Speedicook, the only oat mill in Northern Ireland. 08-Mar-1999 United Biscuits is negotiating the sale of its Young's frozen seafoods business to Legal & General Ventures, the venture capital concern that owns Bluecrest Seafood. 06-Mar-1999 Robert Wiseman is said to be close to agreeing the acquisition of Aberdeen Milk Services, the co-operative that is supplied by 118 dairy farmers across the north-east of Scotland. 05-Mar-1999 Birds Eye Wall's factory is to cut 150 jobs at its factory in Lowestoft in order to secure its long-term future. 03-Mar-1999 Milk Marque is seeking to change its constitution in order to become more commercial, and wants to stop dairy farmers from having the automatic right to join the co-operative. 02-Mar-1999 Allied Domecq is considering plans for a demerger that would result in a separate listing for its leisure and retailing division, enabling the spirits business to link up with another group. 02-Mar-1999 Perkins Foods is seeking to expand its chilled and frozen foods business by making acquisitions in the UK and France this year. 02-Mar-1999 Key Country Foods is to create 30 jobs at its bacon-processing plant in Scunthorpe due to rising demand, and £0.5m will invested in a new curing plant. 01-Mar-1999 Cooplands of Scarborough has announced plans to open 10 new shops and expand production at its Scarborough bakery by 75%, with the creation of 80 jobs. 01-Mar-1999 Giles Foods has opened a new bread and quiche factory in Milton Keynes. 27-Feb-1999 Cadbury Schweppes is said to be planning to bid for Procter & Gamble's Hawaiian Punch fruit drink for about £125m. 27-Feb-1999 Diageo has sold four bourbon brands and some other drinks to a consortium of US companies for £105m, which completes its clear-out of underperforming spirits in North America. 25-Feb-1999 Diageo has sold eight Canadian whiskies, including production facilities in Alberta and Quebec, to Canandaigua of the US for £114m. 23-Feb-1999 Allied Domecq has closed four Dunkin Donuts outlets in the Midlands and a factory in Leamington Spa with the loss of 60 jobs, as part of a strategy to focus on franchised outlets. 18-Feb-1999 Smales Group is opening a new fish processing factory adjacent to its head office in Hull, with the creation of 30 jobs. 18-Feb-1999 The European Commission has decided not to delay the scrapping of duty-free sales, prompting the Scotch Whisky Association to warn that up to 700 jobs could be lost at Scottish distilleries. 18-Feb-1999 Heinz is considering plans to close its Harlesden plant, which employs 450, as part of a worldwide restructuring programme that aims to cut up to 4,000 jobs and close or sell up to 20 factories. 18-Feb-1999 Taysters is closing its snacks factory at Willand near Tiverton with the loss of 130 jobs, following the loss of a contract to supply sandwiches to Granada service stations. 17-Feb-1999 Golden Vale is planning an £8m investment to modernise cheese processing facilities at its Dairy Produce Packers plant in Coleraine, creating more than 70 jobs. 17-Feb-1999 Daleside, the small Harrogate brewery, is seeking to relocate to a larger site within the next 18 months. 17-Feb-1999 Harrogate Council is considering plans to set up a water bottling plant and visitor centre, and is seeking assistance from the private sector. 17-Feb-1999 Donegal Creameries has bought a 76% stake in the Oatfield sweet factory in Letterkenny, in order to secure its future. 16-Feb-1999 Booker is closing its wholesale frozen food operations at Hatfield, Haydock and Bristol, as well as a depot in Northampton, with the loss of 600 jobs, and the rest of Booker Wholesale Foods is being sold to Palmer & Harvey McLane for £4.4m. 16-Feb-1999 Hazlewood Foods is closing its sliced cooked meats factory at Wisbech with the loss of about 250 jobs, as part of a strategy to move out of lower-margin products. 16-Feb-1999 Soleco of France is planning to set up a £12m prepared salads factory in Litchfield, in partnership with the CJN Williams Group. 13-Feb-1999 Macfish is to create an extra 60 jobs at its fish processing factory in Fraserburgh, having won a major new contract from an unnamed supermarket chain. 12-Feb-1999 Kilron Seafoods has opened a new fish smoking plant at its Fraserburgh site, and is seeking 20 additional workers. 12-Feb-1999 South African Breweries is to list on the London Stock Exchange next month, raising up to £200m to finance its move from South Africa and to expand its operations in emerging markets. 11-Feb-1999 HP Bulmer is moving into the South African cider market with the acquisition of brands and production facilities from W&A Gilbey for £2.3m. 09-Feb-1999 Scotia Holdings has licensed its Olibra appetite suppressant to General Mills of the US for undisclosed terms, and General Mills is said to be considering its use in seven categories of food. 09-Feb-1999 The Scottish salmon farming industry is to get £9m of government aid to help fight the spread of infectious salmon anaemia. 09-Feb-1999 Unilever is said to be planning to set up a new research laboratory at its Port Sunlight site, with the creation of up to 100 new jobs. 08-Feb-1999 Ranks Hovis McDougall is to form a new grocery division that includes JA Sharwood, James Robertson and Bisto Foods, in order to strengthen their marketing and manufacturing activities. 06-Feb-1999 Sun Valley Foods has acquired Hermelink, the Dutch chicken processor. 06-Feb-1999 Sidoli's is planning to double the size of its ice cream and confectionery factory in Welshpool, which already employs 150 people. 05-Feb-1999 John Joules & Sons Pubs is to set up a micro-brewery at the Swan pub in Stone, Staffordshire. 02-Feb-1999 Weetabix is planning to expand its breakfast cereals factory in Northants in order to replace buildings on other sites and reduce the number of lorries on the road. 02-Feb-1999 Cadbury is to cut up to 300 jobs in order to improve efficiency at its confectionery factory in Birmingham. 01-Feb-1999 Vaux has selected a management buy-out team as the preferred bidder for its pub and brewing operations, and the team has been given four weeks to finalise an offer. 30-Jan-1999 Diageo has announced plans to set up a new headquarters building for United Distillers & Vintners in Edinburgh Park, as part of a £50m investment that will see all its UK spirits production concentrated in Scotland. 29-Jan-1999 Bensons Crisps is in discussions to acquire two unnamed snack food companies for up to £4m. 29-Jan-1999 Pioneer Foodservice is opening a £1m depot in Gateshead and expanding its Carlisle headquarters with the creation of 20 jobs. 28-Jan-1999 JC And NH Murray, the Darlington-based bakery, has been rescued from administration in order to save 70 jobs, and a new company called Murrays the Bakers is being launched. 28-Jan-1999 S&A Foods is planning a £7m expansion at its ethnic ready meals factory in Derby, and the workforce is expected to rise from 800 to 1,000 over the next year. 28-Jan-1999 The government has announced plans to impose a new levy on shops and restaurants to raise £65m towards the annual costs of the proposed Food Standards Agency. 27-Jan-1999 Unilever has won FDA approval for the US launch of a new spread that reduces cholesterol in the bloodstream. 27-Jan-1999 Albert Fisher has decided not to proceed with plans to sell its chilled prepared salad and fruit divisions, and will instead reduce debt by making other disposals. 27-Jan-1999 Glenmorangie is linking up with LVMH to invest in a whisky joint venture in China. 26-Jan-1999 Novartis Seeds is to move its food research operation from Norfolk to Cambridge with the loss of nine jobs. 26-Jan-1999 Scottish fish producers are considering plans to set up their own national association, to coincide with the launch of the Scottish parliament. 26-Jan-1999 Elkes Biscuits is cutting 95 temporary jobs at its biscuit factory in Uttoxeter. 25-Jan-1999 Bass is said to be considering plans to acquire the remaining 25% of the Britvic soft drinks business from Allied Domecq for up to £150m. 25-Jan-1999 Anchor Foods is changing its name to New Zealand Milk (UK) as part of a global restructuring programme by its parent company, although Anchor will still be used as a brand name. 23-Jan-1999 Cromer Crab Company is to set up a new factory to process luxury shellfish products and expects to create 160 jobs over the next three years. 23-Jan-1999 Grampian Country Foods has acquired Hamish Morison, the Scottish breeding, hatching and growing operation. 23-Jan-1999 Scottish & Newcastle is to spend £6m setting up a temporary headquarters in Edinburgh to make way for the Scottish Parliament building, and expects to move to a new permanent site within 18 months. 22-Jan-1999 Walkers Snack Foods is planning a £30m investment programme that will create 60 jobs, including an £11m expansion at its distribution centre in Leicester. 21-Jan-1999 Meat hygiene inspectors belonging to the Unison public service union are planning a series of strikes in protest over pay and working conditions in the abattoirs. 21-Jan-1999 Huttons International has launched a new food service division that will supply a wide range of products for hotels, pubs, schools, universities and nursing homes in East Yorkshire. 20-Jan-1999 Avonmore Waterford, the Irish dairy concern, is planning to change its name to Glanbia in order to have a single corporate identity for all of the recently-merged Avonmore and Waterford businesses. 20-Jan-1999 Farne Salmon has laid off 200 workers at its fish processing sites in Duns and Galashiels. 19-Jan-1999 Cameron Food Safety has opened the new Food Resource Centre in Inverurie, which will support the development of new food businesses in the Aberdeen area. 19-Jan-1999 Cott Beverages is to close its soft drinks plant in Featherstone with the loss of 160 jobs, and production will be transferred to Pontefract. 19-Jan-1999 Grampian Country Foods is to close its chicken processing factory in Bury St Edmunds, but hopes to relocate some of the 250 jobs to other factories. 19-Jan-1999 Avonmore Waterford is to invest £7.3m at its Cuisine Foodservice factory in Tamworth to meet rising demand for fresh products. 16-Jan-1999 Trebor Bassett is to close its confectionery factories in Colchester and Maidstone at the end of this year with the loss of 500 jobs, and production will be transferred to other sites in Sheffield, Chesterfield, York and Pontefract. 14-Jan-1999 Golden Wonder is to close its snacks factory in Widnes in April with the loss of 540 jobs, and production will be transferred to other sites in Scunthorpe and Corby. 14-Jan-1999 Bass is to cut up to 200 jobs at a brewery in Burton over the next three years. 13-Jan-1999 Thwaites is cutting 27 jobs at its brewery in Blackburn, but has also announced plans for a new distribution depot and three new pubs in the North West. 12-Jan-1999 Express Dairies is to invest £1m in the expansion of the Claymore Creamery in Nairn, which will create an unspecified number of new jobs and help the company with its plans to increase its share of the Scottish market from 8% to up to 25%. 11-Jan-1999 Allied Bakeries is cutting 70 jobs at its bakery in Chester due to changes in its bread production methods. 11-Jan-1999 Bluecrest Foods is cutting up to 100 jobs at a fresh fish factory in Grimsby, due to a shortage of supplies. 11-Jan-1999 Zeneca is looking for a food industry partner to help with the launch of its Quorn meat substitute in the US. 11-Jan-1999 Marston Thompson & Evershed has launched a counter bid against Wolverhampton & Dudley, and its plan involves selling 1,150 pubs and closing both of Wolverhampton's breweries. 09-Jan-1999 Gerber Foods has acquired MD Food's juice division and Blackburn production plant. 09-Jan-1999 Redbridge Holdings has acquired Cheshire Produce, the foodservice distributor with branches in London, Manchester and Birmingham. 09-Jan-1999 Coldstream is linking up with other companies to form a national network of ice cream distributors called Ice Cream UK. 09-Jan-1999 Brake Bros is planning to expand the storage and distribution facilities at its frozen food factory in Long Eaton with the creation of 33 jobs. 07-Jan-1999 Gerald McDonald is to set up a new operation in Basildon to blend and store fruit juices and spices, with the creation of 30 new jobs. 07-Jan-1999 United Biscuits is to cut up to 250 jobs at its KP snacks factory in Billingham due to a fall in demand. 07-Jan-1999 Avonmore Waterford is planning to invest £21m at its operations in Idaho, US, to expand cheese production by 30%. 07-Jan-1999 Wilkin & Sons is to transfer its jam factory in Tiptree, Essex, to a trust that will manage it on behalf of the 150 workers. 05-Jan-1999 The information below comes from the UK Activity Report. 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