Wed, 24 Sep 2025 | MERGER
An East Midlands-based frozen baked goods specialist that works with a number of major retailers and coffee shop chains has been acquired by German food giant Ditsch for an undisclosed sum. The German company’s acquisition of WorldBake Limited significantly strengthens its position in the UK food market.
Headquartered in Kettering, WorldBake supplies frozen bakery products tailored to the UK wholesale, retail and manufacturing sectors, with customers including the likes of Marks & Spencer and Starbucks.
Pretzel maker Ditsch, which was founded in 1919, forms part of the Valora Group. It has acquired WorldBake as part of its efforts to strengthen its presence in the British and Irish markets, with the deal involving the creation of a new company, Ditsch UK Limited.
The two companies have a longstanding partnership in the UK, with WorldBake having distributed Ditsch’s bakery range, primarily pretzels, to its wholesale customers in the retail and foodservice industries for close to two decades.
Following the acquisition, all staff at WorldBake will remain employed, with Peter Hedges continuing as Managing Director. The company’s head office operations in Kettering are set to transfer to Ditsch UK, with the new company acting as a standalone business, retaining WorldBake’s established processes and customer relationships.
Seb Gooding, Chief Executive of the B2B Division of the Valora Group, commented: "We're excited to take this next step in the UK. Combining our expertise and local knowledge allows us to bring even more pretzel innovation to British and Irish customers."
Managing Director Peter Hedges hailed the “innovation and opportunities” that the merger would deliver, adding: "Combining the resources and expertise of Ditsch with the experience of our UK team, we will continue to work with our supply partners, accelerating new product development, improving our insight into market trends and strengthening our offering and service to customers."
Read more about the UK food and beverage sector's active M&A market:
Food & Beverage sector: M&A heats up
UK food and drink M&A at eight-year high, but tariffs threaten momentum
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