McCain Foods said it will be investing $55 million (£41.6m) in Strong Roots, a leading plant-based frozen food company based in Dublin.
The strategic partnership will see McCain, the family-owned world leader in frozen potato specialties and appetizers, taking a minority stake in Strong Roots, to help the company grow its plant-based product range globally.
Strong Roots will continue to operate in an independent capacity, but they will be able to use McCain’s global presence to expand its own footprint in existing markets - Ireland, the UK and the US - and to enter new markets.
The partnership will also allow Strong Roots to expand into the foodservice market through McCain’s out-of-home network.
McCain said it will gain an expanded product portfolio that reaches out to the rising number of consumers looking for healthy, natural and simple meals with the partnership, while bolstering its commitment to planet-friendly foods.
Strong Roots is focused on creating products that are sustainably farmed, shipped and sold, and was the first Irish plant-based food business awarded a B Corp Certificate in 2020.
“We’re so excited to be partnering with Strong Roots, a company that not only aligns with our innovative approach to creating food, but also helps us grow our portfolio of healthier food that meets changing consumer demands in a sustainable way,” Max Koeune, president and chief executive of McCain Foods, said.
“We’re looking forward to working with Samuel and the Strong Roots team to help bring a healthy range into more homes across the world.”
Samuel Dennigan, Strong Roots founder and chief executive, addeed: “Working in partnership with McCain Foods means that we are able to grow our brand and the values it stands for, while providing us at Strong Roots with the resources and capabilities we need to see change through globally and impactfully.”
Founded in 2015, Strong Roots boasts a range of cauliflower hash browns, mixed root vegetable fries, bites and burgers.
For McCain Foods, the announcement complements a series of investments in recent years ensuring the leading food producer continues to meet the changing consumer tastes globally, following its investments in The Simple Root, a plant-based food producer offering dairy alternative products, SIMULATE, a plant-based chicken nugget alternative, and GoodLeaf Farms, an indoor vertical farming company that grows nutritious, delicious and sustainable leafy greens.
Leading food manufacturer The Compleat Food Group has acquired The Real Yorkshire Pudding Co for an undisclosed figure.
A leading supplier of own label and branded chilled Yorkshire puddings in the UK, The Real Yorkshire Pudding Co has driven consistent double-digit growth in the category to become a £33 million turnover company.
This is the latest strategic acquisition by The Compleat Food Group as it continues its journey to become the UK’s leading chilled prepared food company. It follows the group’s acquisition of SK Foods and Zorba Foods, the category leaders in private label chilled party foods and dips and deli fillings, and Harvey & Brockless, a producer and distributor of speciality foods, in 2024.
Backed by European private equity firm PAI Partners, The Compleat Food Group was formed in 2021 and currently employs more than 5,000 people across 15 sites. Alongside an extensive footprint across own label, it is also home to leading brands Pork Farms, Wall’s Pastry, unearthed, Vadasz, Squeaky Bean, Wrights and Palace Culture.
“We are excited to welcome the Real Yorkshire Pudding Co to The Compleat Food Group. The Real Yorkshire Pudding Co has a longstanding reputation for creating high-quality, delicious food that people love to eat, which perfectly aligns to our mission to create food to feel good,” Nick Field, chief executive at The Compleat Food Group, said.
“This partnership is about more than just great products, it’s about bringing together talented teams, shared values, and a culture of excellence to create something truly special. We are looking forward to the future and working with the Real Yorkshire Pudding Co as we continue to grow.”
Bill Howson, managing director at the Yorkshire Pudding Co, said: “Joining The Compleat Food Group marks an exciting new chapter for The Real Yorkshire Pudding Co. We’ve built our business on quality, innovation, and a passion for great Yorkshire puddings, and Compleat is the perfect partner to help us in the next stage of our growth journey. We’re excited to work together and the group’s expertise, market reach, and shared commitment to exceptional products make them a great fit for our ambitions.”
The Compleat Food Group has a leading market position within chilled categories, including savoury pastry, Mediterranean-deli, olives and antipasti, continental meats, dips and sauces and plant-based food. The latest acquisition is expected to further extend its manufacturing capabilities, enabling the group to bring more category leadership and innovation, while allowing the Real Yorkshire Pudding Co to leverage the group’s extensive experience in category development to support its ambitious growth plans.
Founded in 1992, the Real Yorkshire Pudding Co is the No.1 chilled Yorkshire pudding brand in the UK and the leading own label supplier, with listings in all major retailers. It has a reputation for creating premium quality, indulgent products, which include Yorkshire puddings and toad in the hole.
LA Foods on Friday (7) reopened Nisa Local in Shepherd’s Bush on Uxbridge Road, West London with a new layout and an extensive refit designed to enhance the shopping experience for the local community.
Operated by convenience chain LA Foods, the store relaunched also has an expanded range of fresh and chilled products, and a significant selection of Co-op own-brand goods.
The refurbishment, which took approximately six weeks to complete, has introduced several upgrades, including a brand-new store layout to improve customer flow.
One of the biggest changes was relocating the checkout counter to the front of the store, making it more accessible and allowing staff to have better oversight of the shop floor.
Malik Zameer, Store Manager, explained the reasoning behind the transformation, “People are drawn to fresh, modern environments, and we wanted to create a store that truly meets the needs of our customers.
We’ve expanded our chilled and fresh product range, particularly our fresh produce, which has already had a positive impact on sales. We’re now seeing an uplift in fresh sales by approximately 50 per cent which is a fantastic start.”
The new-look store now offers an impressive selection of Co-op own-brand products, providing customers with access to high-quality, great-value groceries, chilled meals, and food-to-go options. In addition, the refit has introduced a temperature-controlled ‘beer cave’, a first-of-its-kind feature for the area, offering an extensive range of wines and beers.
Another key improvement was removing previous signage that covered the store’s windows, allowing passers-by to see inside.
“Now, every aisle and bay is visible from outside, creating a more open and welcoming feel,” added Zameer. “It encourages people to pop in, even if they’re not planning to buy anything - it’s all about creating an inviting shopping space.”
The official relaunch event featured a variety of special offers and activities, including a raffle with prizes such as a tablet and Amazon vouchers, goody bags for customers, and free product samples from suppliers.
Customers who made a purchase on launch day also received a coupon for £5 off their next visit to the store.
LA Foods Group have now been working alongside Nisa for over 20 years, with 13 stores currently under the Nisa fascia. Last year, LA Foods extended their existing supply contract with Nisa for a further 5 years.
Andrew Rutter, Head of Key Accounts at Nisa, praised the store’s transformation, “We are delighted to see this Nisa Local re-open with such a strong focus on fresh food, convenience, and community support.
"The new layout, improved product range, and addition of Co-op own-brand lines make this store an excellent destination for local shoppers.”
With its modern design, expanded fresh food selection, and commitment to the community, the Uxbridge Road Nisa Local is set to be a key shopping hub in Shepherd’s Bush for years to come.
Wholesaler JW Filshill, having achieved its 2020 pledge to cut its carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 five years early, is prioritising sustainability in its 150th anniversary year.
In terms of Filshill’s sustainability goals, the company revealed that it has reached this target five years early, boosted by its relocation to the new Renfrew site, significant investment in electric HGV vehicles, solar panels and full LED lighting, and transitioning to HVO fuel for all diesel-powered operations at Westway Business Park.
Filshil has also committed to investing in a software platform that will assist greatly in tracking Scope 3 emissions.
The wholesaler relocated to its purpose-built 120,400 sq ft distribution centre at Westway, near Glasgow Airport in March 2023
This year, the fifth-generation wholesaler has won two key industry awards for its work around sustainability and commitment to becoming a net-zero business: the Sustainable Wholesaler of the Year at Scottish Wholesale Achievers in February and, earlier this month, the Environment and Sustainability Award at the Unitas Connect Awards.
In both awards, the judges recognised investment not just in Filshill’s own operations and workforce but its engagement and collaboration with its suppliers and customers to consider all aspects of the supply chain.
Keith Geddes, chief financial and operating officer at Filshill, said, “We’ve made huge strides around sustainability within the business and leading the way within the wholesale sector not just in terms of Scotland but across the UK.
“We’ve reduced our carbon footprint by 8 per cent in the last year alone and invested in two fully electric HGVs. We have looked at several innovations to further reduce our CO2 emissions including switching to hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) for all our HGVs at Westway – this has been a game-changer for us as this is a much cleaner fuel than diesel.
“Overall, we now know that we are producing just 50g of CO2 per case which is a reduction of 65 per cent since 2021.”
He added, “We are now pushing ahead with benchmarking our Scope 3 emissions. By adopting a wholesale food and drink-focused software platform, we can better track our Scope 3 emissions.”
Geddes said getting all staff on board, across all departments, has been key to Filshill’s success in achieving its sustainability goals.
“From fairly simply measures such as reducing paper invoices and switching to e-invoicing and using both sides of the page when we do need to print something out – small actions make a huge difference over time. Backhauling is another area we are looking at," he said.
Filshill also contributes to the Zero Emission Truck Taskforce, set up by Transport Scotland, along with the Scottish Wholesale Association with which it has worked on key projects to accelerate the use of electric vehicles in Scotland’s wholesale industry.
The company, one of Scotland’s oldest and most respected independent food and drink wholesalers, is marking its 150th anniversary in 2025 with a raft of activity based around the theme Delivering Success that champions sustainability, innovation, community, and wellbeing.
Culminating with a 150th Anniversary Celebration Dinner in Glasgow in October, the year honours Filshill’s journey from its origins as a confectionery manufacturer in Glasgow’s Gallowgate in 1875 to its position today as an award-winning wholesaler serving independent KeyStore convenience stores across Scotland and the north of England. while setting the scene for a future of ambition, growth, and positivity.
The award-winning wholesaler also aims to raise £150,000 for six charities which represent large demographics of the communities they serve as part of the anniversary celebrations. Chosen by Filshill staff, the charities are:
CHAS (Children’s Hospices Across Scotland)
Dementia Scotland
Cancer Research UK
MND Scotland
SSPCA (Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
Towns and cities across Britain are already witnessing a wave of closures as independent businesses shut their doors ahead of April's triple tax burden, the UK's leading retail body has warned.
The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira), which represents 6,000 independent businesses nationwide, reports that many shop owners are making the heartbreaking decision to close now rather than face the financial cliff-edge coming in April.
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira said, "We're seeing a deeply concerning trend of preemptive closures.
"Shop owners are doing the maths on the increased National Insurance contributions, higher minimum wage costs, and the looming reduction in business rates relief, and many are concluding that continuing simply isn't viable."
The combined impact of employers' National Insurance rising to 15%, the minimum wage increasing to £12.21, and business rates relief dropping from 75 per cent to 40 per cent is creating what Bira describes as a "perfect storm" for independent retailers.
With approximately 13,000 shops closing their doors in 2024, and forecasts suggesting this could rise to as many as 17,000 closures in 2025, the scale of the crisis facing British high streets is unprecedented in recent times.
"These aren't just statistics – they're family businesses that have often served their communities for generations," Goodacre added. "We're particularly alarmed by the number of retailers telling us they're closing now to avoid accumulating further debt before the April changes take effect."
The association warns that this trend could accelerate in the coming weeks, creating empty units across Britain's high streets and fundamentally altering the character of town centres.
Goodacre added, "If the government doesn't recognise these early closures as the death knell for our high streets and take immediate action, we risk losing the diverse, independent businesses that make our communities unique.
"The economic and social cost of these closures will far outweigh any short-term tax gains."
Bira is calling for an urgent review of the planned tax changes and additional support measures for small retailers to prevent what it describes as an "devastating blow" for independent high street businesses.
Various retail and wider industry bodies are warning the government over the upcoming rise in costs for businesses at multiple fronts.
Commenting on the modest growth in sales in Ferbruary, Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said, "The industry is already doing all it can to absorb existing costs, but they will be left with little choice but to increase prices or reduce investment in jobs and shops, or both.
"The focus of the Employment Rights Bill should be on unscrupulous employers but instead the industry faces ongoing uncertainty and a trajectory that risks punishing responsible businesses who provide valuable employment, particularly at entry level. It is time for government to course correct to ensure investment and growth are not undermined.”
Illegal vapes worth £4,000 have been seized by Gloucestershire County Council trading standards officers from a shop near Gloucester city centre, following the discovery of a hidden room in the premises.
Gloucestershire County Council informed that an inspection was carried out on Feb 27, to follow up on a number of test purchases of illegal vapes which had been made by an undercover trading standards officer in the weeks before.
During the test purchase conducted earlier, when the undercover officer previously visited the shop and asked for a particular brand of vape, they were handed a sheet of paper with various flavours.
The shop worker left the shop floor to go to the rear of the premises, before returning with the selected vape which contained more nicotine liquid than permitted by law.
Trading standards officers visited the shop Feb 27 to search the premises and focused on the space behind the shop floor. They noticed that of all the rooms in the premises, the toilet room had been recently renovated with a smart toilet and sink suite and PVC clad walls.
Officers also took account of room measurements and noted some missing floor space.
They discovered that the PVC cladding in the toilet room had been used to conceal a doorway into a hidden room, which was kept closed by magnetic door locks.
The trading standards officers found 468 illegal electronic cigarettes worth around £4,000 as well as the empty display boxes of a further 731.
Trading standards officers have discovered sophisticated concealments in the past in relation to the storage of illegal tobacco, but this is the first time a concealed room has been discovered.
Cllr Dave Norman, cabinet member for trading standards at Gloucestershire County Council, said, “These products harm the trade of legitimate suppliers and pose a risk to public health.
"The level of sophistication in this concealment was considerable and this was a deliberate and concerted effort to evade detection.
"This seizure shows that our trading standards team will work tirelessly to keep these harmful products off the streets, no matter what efforts unscrupulous traders make to keep them hidden.”