Express & Star

2 Sisters food group sells Christmas pudding business for £67m

Black Country food group 2 Sisters has announced the sale of its Christmas puddings business in a £67 million deal.

Published
The 2 Sisters factory in Wolverhampton

The company, which is run by the Boparan family and has factories in Wolverhampton and West Bromwich, has agreed to sell the Matthew Walker Christmas puddings business to Valeo Foods Group.

The business, based at Heanor in Derbyshire, is thought to be the world’s oldest Christmas pudding maker and is among the UK's market leaders.

The sale to Valeo Foods Group adds another name to the Dublin-based company’s portfolio of 68 international food brands, which includes Jacobs, Rowse and Balconi.

Ranjit Singh, president of 2 Sisters parent company Boparan Holdings Ltd, said: “After making our intentions known earlier this year, we are pleased to announce this sale today.

“It is another significant deal, with good enterprise value, underlining our commitment to transforming our business.

“It strengthens our balance sheet even further and shows we are following through with our promises by focusing on our key strengths.

“I wish all colleagues at Matthew Walker every future success with a good new owner.”

Ronald Kers, chief executive of Boparan Holdings Ltd, said: “This sale is further good news as we continue at pace with our turnaround plan. We remain very much on track to meet our strategic aims of focusing on our core businesses and improving our operational performance.”

The finalisation of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to complete in the coming weeks.