Gail’s expects to open 40 new locations this financial period as it moves toward its 300-store UK target.

The announcement appears in the group’s most recent full-year accounts, submitted to Companies House by parent company Grain Topco Limited.

The filings reveal that Gail’s revenue reached £219.8m for the year ending 28 February 2025, representing a 23% uplift from the previous year’s £179m.

Adjusted group EBITDA.

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Unilever has taken another step in refocusing its business, confirming the sale of its healthy snacking label Graze to Katjes International, the company behind Candy Kittens.

Expected to close in early 2026, the transaction highlights Unilever’s broader strategic pivot, as the company steps back from parts of its food portfolio to invest more heavily in beauty and wellness.

When Unilever purchased Graze in 2019, it was aiming to tap into the booming health-minded snack category. The brand has since evolved from its D2C beginnings into a major UK retail player.

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The Compleat Food Group has signed a deal to acquire Greencore’s Bristol chilled soup and convenience food manufacturing facility.

The move follows Greencore’s decision to divest the Bristol site as part of the remedies required for the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) Phase 2 investigation into Bakkavor’s proposed acquisition.

The CMA said the acquisition could reduce competition and potentially increase prices for consumers.

CMA executive director of mergers Joel Bamford said at the time: “The cost of our weekly shop matters to us all.

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Nestlé has unveiled a £28m investment in its Dalston site in Cumbria, where Nescafé Frothy Coffee is produced, to enhance manufacturing capabilities and support long-term growth.

The upgrade will include building a new, state-of-the-art mixing plant and installing two advanced high-tech packing lines.

These enhancements will significantly improve production efficiency, enabling the output of 60,000 frothy coffee sachets per hour.

Furthermore.

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Suffolk’s Stefan Sewell, founder of Sour Fennel Catering, and also a Chef Manager at the Royal Air Force has been crowned the winner of the inaugural Kraft Heinz Masters of the Menu chef competition – a prestigious new contest celebrating the creativity and skill of chefs from independent venues across the UK.

The competition, in partnership with chef James Cochran and the Craft Guild of Chefs, saw our talented finalists battle it out for the coveted top spot. Finalists received one-on-one mentorship from Cochran, with support from Kraft Heinz chefs, to develop their business acumen and culinary skills.

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Nestlé Professional has officially opened registrations for its prestigious hospitality competition, Toque d’Or. Now in its 38th year, Toque d’Or continues to celebrate and inspire the next generation of industry professionals. This year’s theme, cultural fusion, diversity and innovation, reflects the dynamic and ever-evolving world of hospitality, encouraging students to embrace new flavours, ideas and perspectives that are shaping the future of foodservice.

Since its inception in 1989, the competition has engaged 150 colleges across the UK, providing up-to-the-minute learning and real-life challenges to almost 10.

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The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concluded its Phase One review of the proposed merger between Greencore and Bakkavor.

Earlier this year, the two food-to-go giants announced a £1.2 billion takeover agreement, set to form a UK food group with a combined revenue of £4 billion.

The watchdog determined that the proposed acquisition does not raise significant competition concerns.

While the CMA had previously expressed worries that the deal could substantially reduce competition in the UK chilled sauces market.

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Radnor Hills, one of the UK’s leading soft drinks manufacturers, has unveiled a new collaboration with Disney.

To celebrate the live-action reimagining of their 2002 animated classic Disney Lilo & Stitch, Radnor Fruits has today launched three character-inspired flavoured drinks.
The specially branded 200ml Tetra Paks feature a design of the Disney Stitch character from the film and in flavours which include Apple, Forest Fruits and Orange.

Radnor Fruits is a School Approved (in England.

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Nestlé has revealed plans to cut approximately 16,000 jobs globally over the next two years as part of a turnaround strategy aimed at boosting growth and cutting costs.

The initiative seeks to achieve annual savings of around £900 million by 2027—double the company’s previous target.

The FMCG giant posted an organic sales increase of 3.3% during the first nine months of 2025, reflecting solid performance across all regions and global business units.

However.

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Boparan Private Office, the investment firm owned by Ranjit Singh Boparan, has rescued Roberts Bakery, safeguarding over 400 jobs and ensuring the survival of the 138-year-old business.

An undisclosed investment has led to the formation of a new company, Roberts Bakery 1887 Ltd.

The agreement secures the jobs of 433 Roberts employees across three factories and ensures the long-term future of the business.

According to a statement.

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Snack manufacturer Pladis has surpassed the £3 billion sales milestone for the first time.

For the year ending 31 December 2024, Pladis reported a 17% year-on-year increase in group revenue to £3.23bn, fuelled by robust consumer demand for its core biscuit and snack brands and double-digit growth across international markets.

Operating profit at the London-headquartered snacking group, owner of McVitie’s, Jacob’s, Carr’s, and Flipz, rose by 4% to £344.4m, while EBITDA grew 11% to £486.9m, supported by stronger operational discipline and a continued emphasis on brand-led growth.

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PepsiCo, the global food and beverage manufacturer, delivered a solid performance in the third quarter of 2025. For the twelve weeks ending in September, net sales rose by 2.6% to approximately £18 billion.

Despite this growth, the company saw mixed volume trends — convenient food volumes declined by 1%, while beverage volumes increased by 1.5% across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Net income for the quarter fell year-on-year to around £1.96 billion.

Looking ahead, PepsiCo anticipates a low single-digit increase in organic revenue for the full year.

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BrewDog has cautioned that the UK brewing and hospitality industry has faced a £1bn rise in costs over the past year, with soaring energy, labour, and raw material expenses putting mounting pressure on brewers and pub operators ahead of the Autumn Budget.

The Scottish brewer said that soaring energy bills, rising National Insurance contributions, increased wages, and a series of new taxes and packaging regulations have forced breweries and pub groups to make “difficult decisions” to safeguard their futures.

BrewDog further estimated that the industry would need to sell an additional 950.

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Beer giant BrewDog has revealed plans to reduce its workforce across the company.

According to the BBC, employees were informed of the decision via an internal email from BrewDog’s chief executive, James Taylor.

The company has not specified how many roles will be affected, stating that the move is intended to “right-size” the business.

In a statement reported by the BBC, Taylor said: “We’ve taken time to review our structure and ensure we’re focusing our energy and investment in the right areas.

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Hilton Food Group has completed the £54m sale of its UK meat supplier, Fairfax Meadow Europe Limited, to Sysco GB as it refines its strategic focus on core operations.

The agreement also includes a three-year supply partnership with Hilton Food Solutions. This will ensure continued access to premium, internationally sourced meat products.

Hilton said the divestment followed a portfolio review and would allow the group to concentrate on areas where it can best apply its global expertise and strengthen customer partnerships.

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Premier Foods is investing £19m in its Ambrosia factory in Lifton, Devon, to increase production capacity in response to strong consumer demand for its porridge pots.

The three-year investment plan, being rolled out in two phases, is expected to protect over 320 local jobs.

The food manufacturer stated that the first phase, valued at £9m, has already introduced a new custard filling line and high-speed packing equipment, streamlining production and transitioning Ambrosia pots to fully recyclable packaging.

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Unilever has appointed Srinivas Phatak as its new chief financial officer after conducting a comprehensive internal and external search.

The consumer goods giant announced that Phatak, who has served as acting CFO since February 2025, will assume the role permanently with immediate effect, joining both the Unilever board and executive leadership team.

Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez said: “Srinivas has been a great partner over the last six months as acting CFO and over many years as part of the Unilever leadership team.

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Carrie Martin, a former Mars executive, will join Hotel Chocolat as UK general manager from 6 October.

Currently, Martin oversees Europe, the Middle East, and Australia as general manager for Kind, a brand within Mars’ portfolio.

She is set to report directly to Angus Thirlwell, Hotel Chocolat’s President and Chief Innovation Officer.

In a LinkedIn post, she said: “As a long-time admirer of Hotel Chocolat.

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Nespresso has eliminated over 200 jobs in the UK as part of a broader restructuring, which included the closure of 11 stores nationwide in 2024.

Accounts filed with Companies House show that the coffee giant reduced its UK headcount from 716 to 499 over the latest financial year.

'Nespresso said the changes are intended to streamline operations and 'adapt to changing shopping preferences for immersive brand experiences.

Although several stores closed.

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Premier Foods has revealed its £48m acquisition of healthy meal brand Merchant Gourmet.

The acquisition forms part of Premier Foods’ strategy to broaden its portfolio with high-growth potential brands.

In recent years, the company has strengthened its growth model with the acquisitions of Fuel10K and The Spice Tailor.

Chief executive of Premier Foods, Alex Whitehouse, said: “We’re very pleased to have agreed to the acquisition of Merchant Gourmet.

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