Lea Green sold twice in four months

A small St Helens food manufacturing business has been sold twice in the last four months.

Lea Green Foods, which employs 14 staff, was sold to Staffordshire-based Regency Mowbray in November.

But last month Regency put the business into administration and it has since been sold on to Simplea Food Products. Regency declined to comment on the sale and no one could be reached at Simplea Food which operates from the same address as Lea Green.

Ryan Grant, Peter Holder and Anne O’Keefe, of Zolfo Cooper Europe, were appointed to the business on February 24 as joint administrators.

In a statement Mr Grant said: “Prior to our appointment we were engaged to undertake a period of pre-appointment contingency planning, to include marketing of the company’s business and assets for sale. 

“A sale of the Company’s business and certain assets to Simplea Food Products was concluded on 24 February, after the appointment of the joint administrators. This sale optimised the return to creditors and preserved the employment of the company’s staff.”

Lea Green makes products including pastes, sauces and purees to supply to the food service and manufacturing markets.