Cranswick continues to bring home the bacon
STRONG sales, new bank facilities and well invested plants have given food manufacturer Cranswick plenty of reasons to be cheerful.
The Hull-based firm reported that it ended 2008 on a high with total sales in the fourth quarter 11% higher than the previous year.
Food sales rose by 11% helped by a healthy serving of pork products, which leapt by 23%.
Sales of continental products rose by 22% while bacon climbed by a respectable 15%.
Cranswick said that turnover in its pet division, which accounted for 7% of total company sales in the quarter, was up by 5%.
The company has invested heavily in expanding its pork and continental product lines with £10m being spent acquiring the freehold of the Dellco factory and a factory adjacent to the Lazenby’s site for future sausage manufacturing.
It said that full year results, which will be announced in May, are “likely to be ahead” of market expectations.
The group also confirmed that group finance director John Lindop will be retiring from the business at the end of May to be replaced by current group financial controller Mark Bottomley.
Mr Lindop has been with the business for around 17 years. Mr Bottomley joined last year and has several years experience in the food production sector.
