Diemen, the Netherlands, 21 April 2005 – Today, CSM announced plans to relocate the Readi-Bake cookie business of its BakeMark UK subsidiary from Milton Keynes to its Wirral headquarters by the end of May. The move will bring all frozen pastry products under one roof, creating a center of excellence for BakeMark UK while promoting new product development, efficiency and innovation.
The move is part of CSM’s strategy to improve its profitability through Restructuring, Divestment and Growth. The measures now being taken are in line with earlier announcements regarding the reinforcement of CSM’s strategic core activities in bakery products and food ingredients.
Some of the 97 Milton Keynes-based employees are expected to accept the offer of transfer to Wirral. Alternatively, they will be assisted in the search for other suitable employment.
BakeMark UK’s Readi-Bake brand is synonymous with American-style cookies, designed for optimum convenience and end-user satisfaction. The full Readi-Bake range consists of muffins, cookies and donuts, which will now all be produced under one roof, allowing closer collaboration between product development and production.
Background information
CSM is a global producer and distributor of bakery products and food ingredients. CSM’s main product groups include bakery ingredients and products, lactic acid and lactic acid derivatives, and sugar. With these activities CSM has an annual turnover of EUR 2.8 billion and a workforce of approximately 9,500. CSM operates in Europe, the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Asia. More info: www.csm.nl
CSM Bakery Supplies Europe concentrates on the development, production and sale of a wide range of bakery ingredients and products for professional bakers and the bake-off market. The European market for bakery ingredients and business-to-business bakery products has an estimated value of € 8.5 billion. With a market share of 12% CSM Bakery Supplies Europe is regarded as the market leader in Europe with number-1 positions in Germany, Italy, the UK, and France.
BakeMark UK is the largest supplier of bakery ingredients and frozen speciality bakery products in the UK. The great names of Arkady, Craigmillar, Readi-Bake and Caravan Brill are positioned alongside Bon Vivant as BakeMark UK's five key brands. The heritage, innovation and expertise that these brands represent remain building blocks for the future. BakeMark UK continues to offer unrivalled innovation, supported by consumer research and category management expertise to the craft, industrial, in-store and foodservice bakery sectors. More info: www.bakemark.co.uk