Thu, 16 Jan 2025 | ADMINISTRATION
A 115-year-old artisan pork pie maker has collapsed into administration with the loss of nearly 50 jobs.
George Adams, which opened its doors in 1910 in Spalding, appointed administrators from Opus Restructuring on 10 January.
A statement from the administrators said: "Despite significant efforts by the shareholders, who invested £1.6 million over recent years to support the business, ongoing losses meant they were no longer able to sustain operations."
The business was marketed in an attempt to find a buyer but "no viable interest was received". This resulted in the loss of 42 jobs.
"We are now focused on managing the administration process in the interests of creditors," the administrators added.
Adams started the business serving the people of Spalding with quality meats and handmade pork pies from his new butcher's shop. Growing demand led to the company becoming a large-scale food manufacturer focusing on pies, sausages and cooked meats.
The range included Ploughman's Pork Pies and Mustard Scotch Eggs supplying a variety of clients from supermarkets to farm shops, restaurants and butchers.
Mark Adams, grandson of George, took over the running of George Adams when his father died. Due to illness, Mark sold the family business to Danish Crown's UK subsidiary Tulip in 2007, alongside its five production facilities with 2,000 staff, which had an annual turnover of around £200 million.
The retail operations in Spalding remained with the Adams family.
It has since changed hands, with the new owners closing the Spalding shop in 2023 to focus on manufacturing, as that side of the business was "taking off".
UK high street retailers and food manufacturers however have had a torrid last few months with the continued impact from the Covid pandemic and disruption to supply chains as a result of the Ukraine war.
The cost of living crisis, competition from supermarkets and more people cutting down the amount of meat in their diet for health and ecological reasons has also hit demand for some food groups.
Find out more about trends in the UK food and beverage sector
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