Kensey Foods closure: 650 jobs to go at Launceston site

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-46972160

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About 650 jobs are to be lost after a premium quality desserts company announced plans to close.

Kensey Foods, owned by Samworth Brothers, said it was starting a formal consultation with staff on closing its site in Launceston, Cornwall.

The company, established in 1997, said it has been "loss making for the last six years" despite financial investment.

It is proposed the closure will take place by the end of July.

A company spokesperson said the investments and annual losses have "added up to tens of millions of pounds, and this is not sustainable for any business".

"The age and capability of the plant and assets have reached a stage at which significant additional capital investment is required, which is not commercially viable," they added.

Kensey Foods said it would be "doing everything we can" to support staff through the consultation process.

It said it hoped there would be opportunities for some people to redeploy to its Callington bakery and there are also vacancies across the company in other locations.

Kensey Foods operates from an 11-acre site in the Cornish town and is part of family business, Samworth Brothers - a chilled and ambient foods group.