Dough rises for owner of Yorkshire’s Champion bread

William Jackson Food Group, of Hull, has reported pre-tax profits of £22.7m in the year to 2017 – a rise from £3.8m in the previous year.

In accounts filed for the year to April 29 2017, the company, which produces Yorkshire’s Champion Bread, Aunt Bessie’s and The Food Doctors products, saw turnover drop from £9.8m to £8.6m.

The firm said that opportunities for growth, innovation and development outweighed the risks and uncertainties that the group faced. The company said: “In respect of the company’s trading subsidiaries, competition in the retail marketplace remains fierce and, as many of directly or indirectly are supplied to retailers, there is permanent pressure on prices.”

The business is susceptible to raw material costs changes and the variability of the summer weather has impacted the crop used for the product; they are also “exposed” to exchange rate volatility.

The firm said that compliance to technical standards relating to food supply is increasingly demanding.