Young's planned to close Pinneys a year earlier – claim
YOUNG’S was planning to close the Pinneys salmon site at Annan a year before it officially announced the decision, the Scottish Secretary David Mundell has claimed.
The senior Conservative told the Sunday Post in Scotland at the weekend that he believed the the closure was used to help get the business ready for an eventual sale.
Mr Mundell, who is also Conservative MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, told the paper that during rescue talks a few weeks ago he met with Marks and Spencer, a major customer of Pinneys, which made it very clear to him that Young’s had been planning the closure at least a year earlier. He said he found that decision “unforgiveable”. Young’s has so far declined to comment on Mr Mundell’s claim.
Meanwhile, Pinneys, once one of Scotland’s best known salmon brands, will all but cease production in Annan within the next two or three weeks – four months before the year end schedule. The owners Young’s, which announced the closure in April with the loss of 450 jobs, has confirmed that the majority of production was about to come to an end. It is thought that just 100 people are still employed in the plant. Salmon production has been moved to Grimsby.
Founded in 1976, Pinney’s was known as the Queen’s smoked salmon supplier because it held a Royal Warrant. It was sold to The Seafood Company, then part of of the Young’s group, nine years ago, in a deal reported at the time to be worth at least £1-million. But it was already said to be losing up to £1.5 million a year back then.
Mr Mundell and his MSP son Oliver said they are continuing to urge the Scottish Government to buy the Pinneys site. The closure has also also been condemned by the union Unite.
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