Major fruit and juice business Orchard House Foods, which supplies Marks & Spencer, Morrisons and Pret a Manger, is to close its Gateshead factory. This will be putting up to 430 jobs at risk. Orchard House Foods said it plans to relocate production to its existing base in Corby, Northamptonshire. The move comes just 18 months after the firm was bought for £25million by a private equity firm.
Orchard House, which makes prepared and packaged fruit, fruit drinks, fruit jellies, fresh fruit yogurts, compotes and granolas, said the move is part of plans to consolidate production at Corby by the end of November this year.
Source: thenorthernecho.co.uk