Associated Seafoods acquires major Arbroath fish processing business

Associated Seafoods Ltd (ASL), the Buckie-based Scottish smoked salmon producer, has acquired the assets and goodwill of the Arbroath seafood processing business R. R. Spink & Sons (Arbroath) Ltd, which was previously part of the Dawnfresh Group.

The acquisition of the Arbroath business will provide a platform for growth for the processing plant and its 249 employees, which will operate alongside ASL’s Buckie processing facility, which employs 300 staff, creating a business with a combined turnover in the region of £85m. The Arbroath facility produces a wide range of smoked and value-added fish products for a broad customer base, including premium tier retailer, Marks & Spencer.

Victor West, managing director of ASL, said: “This acquisition is a major boost for Arbroath and the town’s long held fish processing tradition. Both businesses are major suppliers to Marks & Spencer, who are delighted that their two key suppliers of ready-to-eat seafood are joining ranks. We are thrilled that the Arbroath site will become part of our group, which will significantly expand our production capability in both volume and range. The Arbroath and Buckie sites share the same passion for seafood, and my team and I very much look forward to working in both locations with our enlarged ASL ‘family’.”

ASL Chairman, Bill Hazeldean, added: “Victor and his management team, together with all the employees at Buckie, have done a terrific job developing ASL into the successful business it is today. The addition of Arbroath will accelerate our planned strategic growth, and we look forward to working with our new colleagues through this next stage of our business development.”

Source: Press Release

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