Confectionery group continues M&A drive with rock maker acquisition
Wed, 31 May 2023 | BUSINESS SALE
Confectionery group Serious Sweets has continued its acquisitive activity with a deal for Bridlington-based rock maker and wholesaler John Bull Confectioners. The deal will see all employees of John Bull Wholesale Ltd and employees of John Bull (Confectioners) Ltd’s wholesale and private label business transfer to a new company, The Real Candy Co Ltd.
The acquisition, completed for an undisclosed sum, is the fourth that Serious Sweets has made since the beginning of last year. In 2022, the company acquired honeycomb-maker Mighty Fine and confectionery firm Mr Stanley’s, before acquiring marshmallow brand Mallow & Marsh in February 2023.
These takeovers, added to Serious Sweets’ existing brands, mean the group now offers a wide range of confectionery, including fudge, marshmallow, toffee, brittles and butterscotch, which it both manufactures and supplies to the UK food service industry and all major UK retailers.
John Bull Confectioners was founded in 1911 and is known for its sticks of rock, which it manufactures as both own-label and white-label. Serious Sweets says the acquisition “significantly” expands its manufacturing capacity and will enable it to develop a more sustainable manufacturing operation over the coming years.
Serious Sweets founder and MD Rob Whitehead said that the acquisition would “significantly [enhance] the products and formats we can offer customers”. Whitehead added that Serious Sweets has “a strong investment programme” to build on the work done by John Bull Confectionery’s former owners.
Read about M&A in the UK food sector
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