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21.
August
2017.
£0.5M TAKEOVER DEAL HERALDS SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION FOR YORKSHIRE FOOD
 

£0.5M TAKEOVER DEAL HERALDS SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION FOR SUCCESSFUL YORKSHIRE FOOD SUPPLIER

 

·      Stuart’s Foods acquires third generation Lincolnshire competitor S Clift Grimsby Ltd

·      Deal doubles the size of the business, with further ambitious growth plans for the next five years.

·      Plans to invest a further £half-a-million into S Clift, with upgrades to meet industry accreditations and new refrigerated vans.

·      First step in a strategy of expansion into new product offerings and territories

 

 Scarborough-based Stuart’s Foods has acquired S Clift Grimsby Limited in a deal that could eventually be worth £0.5million, with plans to significantly grow both businesses.

 This exciting new development is part of Stuart’s mission to become the ‘go-to’ brand for quality, ethically-sourced ingredients in the North.

 Stuart’s - which now serves in excess of 800 customers across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire; employs 33 people; operates 18 delivery vans, and delivers more than 170,408 litres of milk and 527,467 kilograms of potatoes every year - has taken on S Clift and its 13 Lincolnshire-based staff, and premises, as a going concern.

 Stuart’s plans to maintain the name in recognition of its rich heritage and strong customer and supplier relationships.

 At the same time, the company plans to invest a further £half-a-million into S Clift over the next five years, with modernising upgrades including applying for industry food handling accreditations and new refrigerated vans.

The purchase is likely to be the first in an ongoing acquisition process aimed at extending the footprint of Stuart’s through the acquisition of complementary businesses including, potentially, butchers, bakers, delis and food wholesalers.

Third generation family business S Clift Grimsby Limited, was originally set up in 1927. The opportunity for Stuart’s to purchase it came up after the most recent owner wanted to retire at 67, and his children were no longer interested in running the business.

The deal will extend Scarborough-based Stuart's Foods' already extensive reach, to include major towns like Hull, York, Lincoln, Harrogate, Thirsk, Northallerton, Whitby, Malton and Skegness. The client base of the extended business now includes major players like North Yorkshire County Council; York Teaching NHS Trust (including the Scarborough and Malton hospitals); McCains; the Grimsby Institute college and Yorkshire Coast College.

“We’ve built up a strong understanding of the catering trade over the past four decades and we’re passionate about promoting and supporting the whole healthy eating agenda,” said Stuart’s Managing Director, Damian Howarth. 

“Our direct relationships with growers and other quality suppliers in our region, mean we are able to source the best quality ingredients and deliver them to our clients with minimum road miles – straight from field to fork.

“Many of our local authority clients in particular have quite strict requirements around food standards, and this means that we are able to take care of this for them and help them meet their targets.”

“The acquisition of S Clift will support this by opening up a new network of suppliers and customers on the south bank of the Humber.

“It was a natural fit for us, as a very customer focused business with a strong reputation and heritage like our own,” added Damian.

He continued:
“Acquiring S Clift now gives us an opportunity to cross-fertilise between it and Stuart’s.

“Our existing business benefits from a new set of suppliers and customers, while we can introduce new product lines into S Clift, to enhance its offering, as well as bringing some of its infrastructure, systems and processes into line with contemporary requirements such as STS, SALSA and Red Tractor standards.

“We’re proud to say that Stuart’s Foods has gone from strength to strength over the past 30 years since our parents set it up and this deal represents the beginning of what we hope will be a phase of serious expansion through acquisition.”

Stuart’s Foods is now run by Damian and his sister Samantha, supported by Damian’s wife Michelle and a very focused team in Scarborough. It was originally established in 1986, and is now being run by the second generation of the family. Stuart's has built up an impressive client list including hotels, restaurants, local authorities, food producers and staff canteens and now serves in excess of 800 clients on a daily basis.

For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact Tracy Fletcher of By Tracy Fletcher Ltd PR, on 07983 633385 or via email at bytracyfletcher@gmail.com. A selection of professional photos of the Stuart's team have been prepared for this announcement and are available on request.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

 Stuart’s founder Stuart Howarth was a butcher and cash and carry manager by trade, before he hit on the opportunity in 1981 of supplying fresh prepared chips to restaurants – to replace the frozen variety that was prevalent at the time. After five years specialising in this, it was a natural progression to extend its supply offering into the range of fruit and vegetables, spurred on by the same commitment to quality and freshness, and Stuart’s was born in 1986.

Stuart’s purchased its first warehouse in Hoxton Road, Scarborough, in 1991, adding ingredients such as milk and other dairy items, bread and sandwich fillings, to their original fruit and vegetable offering. They are now in the process of diversifying into dry and tinned ingredients such as flour, pasta and baked beans, too. The company has been based in its purpose built Dunslow Road depot in Scarborough since 2007. They will now operate a total of 18 delivery vehicles serving a large proportion of North and East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The S Clift acquisition gives Stuart's the scope to reach more areas south of the Humber, as well as inheriting a new list of customers and suppliers.

Stuart’s has a strong ethos based on quality, safe, responsibly-sourced fresh ingredients, and good relationships directly with suppliers including farmers. The majority of its ingredients are sourced from Yorkshire businesses, including milk from Skipton, potatoes from the Vale of York, Eggs from Driffield, carrots from the Goole and Selby area, sandwich fillings and meats from Driffield, herbs from Thirsk and fresh soups from a business in Northallerton.

They also aim to operate the business in a sustainable way, keeping food miles to a minimum by carefully planning their pick-up and delivery routes, and reducing their carbon footprint with the 120 solar panels installed on their Scarborough warehouse roof.

They have been accredited for food safety since 2003, and continually push to maintain their position as a leader in their industry. For example, Stuart's are one of only a handful of suppliers of their type in the North to operate refrigerated vans.

More information about the business is available from their website at www.stuartsfoods.co.uk.