Wed, 21 May 2025 | BUSINESS SALE
East Yorkshire-based food producer Cranswick has acquired foodservice sausage maker Blakemans in a deal valued at £32 million. According to Cranswick, the acquisition will be highly complementary to its added-value Gourmet business.
The deal represents approximately a 9.7x multiple of Blakemans’ £3.3 million operating profit for the year to September 27 2024. During that period, James T Blakeman & Co Limited, which trades as Blakemans, reported turnover of £50.4 million, down from £51.3 million a year earlier, and saw an uptick in pre-tax profit, which rose to £3 million from around £2.7 million in 2023.
Blakemans, which is headquartered in Staffordshire, has been manufacturing raw and cooked sausage meat for more than 70 years. The family business has a workforce of 290 and an established presence in the UK foodservice market.
The company is recognised as the leading sausage supplier to fish and chip shops in the UK, in addition to supplying products to prepared meals manufacturers. The acquisition will enable Cranswick to offer efficient supply to the foodservice market.
Blakemans’ current CEO Philip Blakeman and Finance Director Susan Cope commented: “The two businesses complement each other in so many ways and we also look forward to working with the management at Cranswick to continue producing quality products into the foodservice sector.”
Oghma Partners acted as financial advisor to Blakemans shareholders on the deal, with Mark Lynch, a partner at the corporate finance house, describing Cranswick as “an ideal partner for the business [...] who will be able to help build on the success of the business to date.”
Cranswick CEO Adam Couch said: “I am delighted to announce the acquisition of Blakemans, a well-invested, leading foodservice sausage manufacturer. Blakemans is highly complementary to our existing added-value Gourmet business. We look forward to welcoming the entire Blakemans team to Cranswick and to working with them to develop the business further.”
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