3663 buys chilled and fresh food business
Wholesale distributor 3663 has added a chilled and fresh food division to its business by buying Bradford-based supplier Swithenbank Foods.
Swithenbank, which has a presence in London's New Covent Garden market and Rungis market in Paris, will add a further £20m to 3663's current £80m sales of chilled and fresh produce. Before the acquisition the business focused largely on ambient and frozen foods.
The new addition to the business will continue to run as a specialist division with its own management. A name-change has yet to be decided. Swithenbank supplies caterers in all sectors of the industry nationwide, and holds national accounts with such companies as Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries and, more recently, BUPA.
"We have been looking for a way into fresh food for some time and felt it was better to enter the market by acquisition - with an existing trading base to build on - than by starting up," said 3663 chief executive Fred Barnes. "The addition extends the range of service options to our customers and makes our portfolio complete."
Plans include building on the fresh food component of the business and expanding the catering equipment division.
New best practice guide
A new guide on best practice in the catering industry has been published by Butterworths Tolley. Essentialfm report 23, Catering Facilities, is written for facilities managers, and gives information on legislation and includes advice on restaurant design, health and safety issues, inhouse or outsourcing and procuring and managing contract caterers. The book is written by Merritt-Harrison Catering Consultancy, price £35.
Duke of York to visit IFE
The Duke of York will attend the International Food and Drink Exhibition (IFE) at ExCel in London's Docklands on 24 March at 10.30am. As special representative for international investment and trade, the Duke will tour some of the stands at the show before taking part in a reception with overseas trade buyers in the International Visitors Lounge.
To pre-register for tickets for IFE, which takes place from 23-26 March, call the ticket hotline on 0870 429 4438 or visit www.ife.co.uk.