USA food giant takes over Padley

CHICAGO-BASED international food group, OSI, has increased its stake in the UK poultry industry with the acquisition of G W Padley Poultry.

Announcing the acquisition on Monday (May 10), an OSI spokesman highlighted that this follows OSI‘s 1996 purchase of Moy Park.

It is part of the group‘s policy to expand its primary and further processed poultry production capability in Europe.

According to the company, it will continue to operate Padley‘s as a stand-alone business, just as it has with Moy Park.

It will also retain the Padley‘s brand, which is well established in foodservice. Moy Park and Padley‘s will have combined sales across Europe of around £600m and employ around 7,000 people.

George Padley founded the business in the 1950s and today employs some 3,500 people.

The Padley family will continue to run their extensive frozen vegetable, poultry husbandry, arable farming and property businesses in Lincolnshire.

The four Padley‘s sites are at Grantham (further processing and breaded portions), Wisbech (cooked chicken), Anwick and Bury St Edmunds (both primary processing).