Whitby Seafoods not pursuing Kilhorne Bay deal
Whitby Seafoods ltd has informed the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that it is not proceeding with its plan to acquire Kilhorne Bay Seafoods.
This follows the CMA’s announcement on October 4th 2023 that it intended to refer the proposed deal for an in-depth phase 2 investigation as part of its merger review process.
A spokesperson for Whitby Seafoods said:
“As a Yorkshire based, family-owned business with a commitment to providing high quality, excellent value breaded scampi to our customers the proposed merger was appealing because our values are highly aligned with Kilhorne, a small family-owned company based in Northern Ireland. Half of Kilhorne’s scampi sales were in Europe and this gave Whitby a unique opportunity to build a new market for our business.
Sadly the resources required to engage in a CMA phase 2 investigation are out of all proportion to any potential benefit from the deal, and we have therefore withdrawn our offer for Kilhorne and will not be proceeding with the acquisition”.
ENDS
About Whitby Seafoods: -
Whitby Seafoods is an independent family-owned business founded in 1985 by Graham Whittle.
The business employs 400 people across two sites, both in the fishing ports of Whitby, North Yorkshire and Kilkeel, Northern Ireland.
Graham Whittle is current Chairman of the business. His children Daniel Whittle (Managing Director), Edward Whittle (Sustainability Director) and Laura Whittle (Marketing and Sales Director) also work in the business.
Whitby Scampi is a well-loved scampi brand in the UK, made from scampi caught in the waters around the British Isles. Whitby Scampi is listed on national menus such as Wetherspoons and Greene King and stocked in major supermarkets such as Sainsburys, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons.
Almost all of Whitby Seafoods sales are based in the United Kingdom.
Kilhorne Bay Seafoods is based in Annalong, (near Kilkeel) Northern Ireland. Approximately half of Kilhorne’s turnover is in peeled scampi exported into mainland Europe.
Press enquiries contact: -
Laura Whittle – Marketing and Sales Director
Whitby Seafoods on 01947 829000
email laura.whittle@whitby-seafoods.com
