Glendale Foods sold to family firm

A director of the Shallan Group, Shafin Somji, has now become Glendale’s executive chairman and said he was excited for the next phase of the company’s "growth story".

He added: "We saw Glendale as an excellent investment opportunity being well placed in its markets with strong products, a strong team, and an overall solid foundation on which to grow. We view Glendale as a strategic long-term purchase and, therefore, look forward to supporting the business with capital as well as our sector expertise, given our frozen food operations in North America."

Glendale’s founders, Paul Burkitt and Mark Jones, will remain with the business for the foreseeable future as executive founders to ensure a smooth and successful handover.

Meanwhile, Simon Whittaker was appointed to the position of CEO. He said: "Glendale is a great company with great people and a strong base on which to establish the Shallan Group’s UK food manufacturing presence. We see this as an ideal opportunity to invest further to leverage the core foundations already in place. With the current product development capability and available capacity, we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead."

Glendale’s non-executive director, Nigel Broadhurst has agreed to continue working with the company through its next stage of strategic growth, while Steve Wood will become managing director from 17 June 2024. Wood joins from an operations background, with over 30 years’ experience across a range of food categories including senior experience in meat-based businesses.

Glendale Foods advisers were Oghma Partners (Mark Lynch) for corporate finance.