Factory to re-open with public subsidy
A MEAT processing business which made 300 people redundant in May is re-opening its Wirral factory with the help of public money.
Tulip, a subsidiary of the multi-national Danish Crown, said the Bromborough business was not viable when it transferred the work to other factories in the UK.
It is now planning to take on 270 workers and shift the focus of the site from sliced meat to sausages. It said the option of changing the use of the factory was not available at the time of the closure.
Wirral Council and the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) have been involved in pulling Tulip back to the region. Both Wirral Council and Tulip said they could not disclose the financial details of the deal for commercial reasons.
Danish Crown reported net profits of £122m, down 19%, on sales of £5.7bn in the year to September 2008. The group cut costs following the profit drop and has described the current trading year as “challenging”.
NWDA chairman Robert Hough and Wirral Council leader Steve Foulkes celebrated Tulip’s move as a boost to the Wirral. Production is expected to start within the first half of 2010.
In a statement Peter Judge, Tulip’s divisional managing director, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce our plans to redevelop our Bromborough production facility.”
