‘Chicken King’ gobbles up turkey giant in pre-pack deal

MEAT products business Bernard Matthews has been acquired by the Boparan group, owners of the 2 Sisters Food Group.

The group, which has brand sites in Grimsby, Wakefield, Sheffield and Batley, has acquired the chicken group from Rutland Partners following reports from Sky News that the chicken supplier was headed for a pre-pack administration.

2,000 jobs at Bernard Matthews’ Norfolk and Suffolk sites will be safeguarded in the deal according to Unite.

It had been reported that 2 Sisters had directly acquired the business, leading the the company to tweet a clarification.

A statement from Boparan said: “We intend to respect and build on the 66-year heritage of a much-loved British brand and crucially help to deliver Christmas 2016, which would have been at risk without our intervention.

“We have a proven track record in turning around businesses and we aim to make Bernard Matthews great again.”

Rutland Partners said in a statement: “Whilst disappointed that the business has continued to struggle during our ownership we are pleased that it has now been acquired by Ranjit Boparan with access to a large, UK poultry group and that all the jobs have been preserved.”

However Labour MP Frank Fields who led an inquiry into working practices at BHS called for an investigation by the Pensions Regulator into the takeover deal.

Unite regional officer Steve Harley said: “We will also be asking about the status of the pension scheme under the new owners, although it is expected that our members won’t be affected in this respect by today’s takeover.”

There was speculation over the future of Bernard Matthews over the summer after Rutland Partners appointed PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to look for possible buyers.

2 Sisters owns brands including Fox’s Biscuits and Goodfellas Pizzas.