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THE Yearsley frozen food and cold store group, which has a major base in Grimsby, has added a new seafood business to its portfolio. It has snapped up Ice Pak Seafood Specialists which is centred in Leeds and Manchester.
Ice Pak, which was established in 1983, supplies frozen food to wholesalers and restaurants across the UK. The £32m-turnover business will trade independently for a while before being integrated into Yearsley's food sales division.
Ice Pak's founders Alan and Tony Cantrill will stay on for a few months to ensure a smooth transition for their customers .Harry Yearsley, managing director of Yearsley Group, said the deal enables the firm to enter new markets and increase market share.
“It strengthens our share of the frozen food sales market and, as there are very few crossovers in terms of customer base and product range, the opportunities to grow the business are huge,” he said.
Tony Cantrill said: “We have spent almost 30 years building up this business and are pleased to see it being taken forward as part of a well-respected and growing national frozen food supplier.”
The Yearsley food sales business supplies retailers, caterers and other outlets in the UK and abroad and operates from a cold store facility at Heywood.
It also imports products under the Belfield brand, supplying private label and branded goods to manufacturers and foodservice and retail multiples.
The group's cold storage and logistics business has 12 depots nationwide and a fleet of more than 300 vehicles. Last year Yearsley, which claims to be the UK’s largest cold store and distribution provider, carried out a half million pound refurbishment at its Grimsby depot which included the installation of a 63,000 square foot superflat insulated concrete floor. The new floor meant that the Grimsby cold store would be able to control storage conditions with greater accuracy and improved energy efficiency.
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