It makes fruit drinks, fruit jellies and fresh fruit yogurts among other products
Supermarket fruit and juice business Orchard House Foods is to shut its Gateshead factory, with up to 430 jobs at risk, and move to Northamptonshire. The company, which supplies the likes of Marks & Spencer, Morrisons and Pret A Manger, said it plans to relocate production to its existing base in Corby.
It added that a significant number of jobs will be created in the East Midlands. There will be support for workers from Gateshead who wish to relocate.Help will also be offered to those affected by the redundancies to find new employment in the Gateshead area, the firm said. Orchard House said it had invested to turn around the site’s performance but that it is “continuing to make losses that make it commercially unviable”.
Orchard House said customers and suppliers will not be affected by the plan. It comes 18 months after UK private equity company Elaghmore bought Orchard House in a deal worth around £25 million.At NorthantsLive we're more than just news. We cover what people are talking about every day and celebrate the very best that this incredible part of the world has to offer.