Factory fire results in less meaty profits at Quorn

A fire at its Norfolk factory has been blamed for Quorn Foods’ sales not rising as quickly as expected, but the food manufacturer is forecasting continued growth in the year ahead.

Stokesley-based Quorn is a market leader in meat substitute products and the success of its Greggs sausage roll, which generated huge publicity as well as strong sales, was a mark of consumers’ appetite for meat-free products.

Quorn’s parent company Marlow Foods – named after the Buckinghamshire town where quorn was created – also owns the Cauldron Foods brand.

It is owned by Monde Nissin, which bought the company for £550m in 2015.

Marlow’s 2018 results, which have just been filed at Companies House, revealed a 7% increase in sales to £219.6m.

A fire at its Methwold facility last June affected its capacity so the company “dampened” sales demand to manage supply, with the result that “sales fell short of expectations”.

The fire was also blamed for the drop in pre-tax profits, which fell 14% to £27.2m.

The company is optimistic about the future, with its product development producing commercially-successful results.

They include the Greggs partnership and its fishless fillets, which launched earlier this year for the vegan market.