A NOSTALGIC sweets brand behind favourites like Fox’s, Rowse and Popppet’s is planning to close its 140-year-old factory forever.
The move, if it went through, would mean 190 jobs would be at risk.
Valeo Foods Group has earmarked its Pontefract site for a phased closure over a 12 month period.
The factory was founded in 1884 and is one of the last remaining liquorice makers in the town.
The site produces a number of products including liquorice sweets, jellybeans, gums and jellies.
Valeo says the factory has been identified for closure for what it calls are a “combination of factors”.
Group CEO of Valeo Foods Group Ronald Kers said: “This proposed closure is a difficult but necessary step as we continue to reshape our manufacturing footprint to ensure long-term competitiveness and growth.
“We are committed to managing this transition responsibly, and in line with our values, providing support to our colleagues throughout this process.
“Our focus remains on investing in the future of our business, driving operational excellence and delivering value to our customers and partners.”
Mr Kers added that they will now commence a formal consultation process with those impacted by the decision.
Past and present workers at the factory have taken to social media to share their sadness at the news, saying they are like “one big family,” reports the Yorkshire Post.
One worker said they weren’t surprised by the closure due to the lack of production, saying “broken machinery” as the main reason.
He said: “You don’t have to be an economist to guess that a factory that doesn’t produce won’t survive.
“And it can’t produce when almost every line isn’t working properly due to broken machinery and other factors beyond the control of the employees that affect production.
“Cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning consumed most of the time that should have been devoted to production.
“Unfortunately, we’re not a small, family-run, local company, but a factory under the control of a huge financial monster… and ultimately, only money counts.”
Valeo Food bought Tangerine Confectionery in 2018, employing 1,500 employees at the time, across their bases in the north of England, including Liverpool, Blackpool, Pontefract, Cleckheaton and York.
The factory in Liverpool closed earlier this year with now Pontefract being put under threat.
According to the Valeo website, the Pontefract factory produces products such as Anglo Bubbly, Jellybeans, Liquorice Varieties, Coconut Mushrooms, Nougat, Sherbet, Gums and Jellies.
Pontefract, which has been dubbed “the home of liquorice,” once had a booming confectionery economy but over the years these factories have closed down.
The town’s association with sweets goes back to the original Pontefract Cakes, thought to be one of the world’s oldest sweets.
The Wakefield Museums and Libraries blogspot says: “Over time, Pontefract’s confectioners began to close, merge with one another, or be acquired by their larger rivals.
“Today, there are two producers remaining in the town.
“The German giant, Haribo, arrived in Pontefract in the 1970s when they first acquired a stake in Dunhills Ltd, the original pioneer of the Pontefract Cake.
“Tangerine Confectionery’s roots in the town can be traced back to W. R. Wilkinson & Co.”
