Bright Blue Foods, the Blackburn-based cake supplier with 700 staff, has been acquired by private equity firm Endless for undisclosed terms.
Headquartered at its two bakeries in Blackburn, Bright Blue also operates from Bradford and Poland and employs more than 700 permanent staff.
With sales expected to exceed £70m this year, Bright Blue is a significant player in the private label and ambient cake market in the UK, manufacturing a wide range of bakery products including mince pies, celebration cakes, swiss rolls and cake bars.
In addition to providing high quality private label cakes for Tesco, M&S, ASDA, Aldi and Morrisons, Bright Blue has developed a strong and growing branded business with Aunt Bessie and Mars. Bright Blue is also one of the largest manufacturers of mince pies and Christmas cake in the UK.
Steve Crossley, who joined Bright Blue in October 2014, will continue to lead the business as Chief Executive Officer. He commented, “We have a strong, well invested business with real competitive advantages and we are delighted that Endless is keen to back our growth plan.
'Our recent bakery rationalisation in the UK and expansion in Poland gives us an opportunity to provide our customers with a compelling proposition and we have high aspirations for the future.
'This is an exciting time for everyone at Bright Blue Foods and we intend to take full advantage of the support provided by our new investors.”