Sales up to £96.3m for Sykes Seafoods

A year of investment at Manchester-based Sykes Seafoods, an importer, processor and distributor of seafood, has driven record sales and “created the infrastructure for continued growth”.

The company, which services more than 500 customers in the UK and Ireland, reported sales of £96.3m – an increase of 9% – in what it said had been a “transformational year and a milestone in the company’s long-term strategic plan”.

Sykes Seafoods, whose operations also include processing facilities at Maghull on Merseyside, provides frozen seafood to the UK retail and foodservice sectors.

Its products – which range from warm and cold water prawns to whitefish and salmon fillets – are sustainably sourced from locations across the world and marketed as retailer own label brands as well as in-house brands, Arctic Royal, Clear Seas and Glenmyr.

Founded more than 100 years ago in Manchester and still independently owned by its management team, the company said earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) had also increased to £6.6m (2015: £1.6m), following the sale of its lower-margin local delivery business, strong operational cost control and a shift towards higher-margin products and sectors.

Managing director Alan Dale said: “A significant and sustained investment in our facilities has enabled us to further improve our quality, service and product innovation offering to customers, whilst reducing processing costs from increased levels of process automation.

“Alongside growing demand for seafood from health-conscious consumers, this has contributed to an excellent year of growth for the group.   

“We now operate the most efficient, competitive and compliant facilities in Europe, providing customers with unrivalled levels of food safety, traceability and quality assurance as well as a long-standing commitment to quality and value.”

He added: “Through our five-year strategic plan, we’ve successfully positioned the group to capitalise on the positive dynamics of the sector and become the supplier of choice in frozen seafood across the UK & Ireland.”