Liquorice factory axes staff over sales slump

Due to the pandemic, sales have fallen at Valeo Confectionery which has impacted the production at the Ferrybridge Road site.

A spokesperson for the company said: “We’ve therefore had to take the very difficult decision to confirm our proposals which result in a number of our colleagues being made redundant.

“During the consultation process we have reduced the number of redundancies required. We are incredibly thankful to our colleagues for all their hard work throughout a very challenging period.”

The company said that of the 37 jobs that have been lost in total, 21 were voluntary and 16 compulsory. The factory has 162 employees plus agency seasonal workers.

One worker, who did to want to be named, said: “You can cut the atmosphere with a knife.

“Things have just got worse over the years, but people just are not buying liquorice anymore. There are people who have been there for 30-odd years and they have gone.”

Valeo Foods Group took over the factory in 2018 from the previous owner, Tangerine Confectionery, for more than £100 million.

However, speculation is mounting that Valeo itself could soon be sold off by its private equity owners.