Whitby Seafoods Ltd

Whitby Seafoods Ltd is an independent, family owned and managed business based in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England specialising in frozen seafood products coated in batter and breadcrumbs. The company claims that it is the largest scampi factory in the world, turning out more than a million portions of the seafood dish per week.

Whitby Seafoods Ltd
IndustrySeafood Processing
Headquarters
Whitby
,
United Kingdom
ProductsScampi
£53 million (2017)
Number of employees
400[1]
WebsiteOfficial website

History

Whitby Seafoods was founded in 1985 when owner, Graham Whittle bought the then defunct Whitby Shellfish Company[2] and set out to transform the British breaded scampi industry moving premises to a 40,000 square feet (3,716 m2) factory on the outskirts of Whitby.[3]

Graham retired as Managing Director in October 2015 and was succeeded in the role by his son, Daniel, who alongside his sister, Laura Whittle (Sales and Marketing Director),[4] and brother, Edward Whittle (Business Development Director) now lead the business [5]

Acquisitions

Whitby Seafoods acquired Middleton Seafood’s (2007)[6] and Rockall (2011) in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland,[7] consolidating these into Kilkeel Seafoods in 2011.[8] Galloway Seafoods, (Newton Stewart, Scotland) from ScoFro.[9]

Activities

The company is the largest manufacturer of scampi in Britain, and also claims to be the largest in the world.[10] Whitby Seafoods processes 7635 tonnes of scampi per annum with sales of £53 million in 2017.[1] Whitby Seafoods launched its products in 20 stores of a major British supermarket in 2008. This was expanded into 700 stores of the same retailer in 2012.[11] In 2014 Whitby Seafoods underwent a major rebranding with advertising company Big Fish, introducing Graham The Gull as mascot and the tag line ‘Bloomin Special Seafood’. New packaging emphasises a seaside feel with Beach Huts and other scenes from Whitby prominent on the packaging.[12]

The company featured in a Channel 4 documentary, "Food Unwrapped", in June 2013.[13]

References
  1. "Demand for scampi leads to expansion". Evening Gazette. 2 November 2018. ProQuest 2127863546.
  2. Stones, Mike (5 March 2011). "All in the bag: Whitby Seafoods wins Tesco deal". foodmanufacture.co.uk. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  3. "Expanding seafood firm buys rival". The Yorkshire Post. 7 May 2007. ProQuest 335359536.
  4. "Stable raw material prices help boost profit at Whitby Seafoods". The Yorkshire Post. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  5. http://www.intrafish.com/news/article1423000.ece
  6. "Seafood company buys Northern Irish competitor". Growth Business. 28 June 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  7. "Ireland's top scampi processor acquires rival". www.seafoodsource.com. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  8. Canning, Margaret (11 July 2014). "Kilkeel firm nets £1m scampi boost and creates 33 new jobs". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  9. Ramsden, Neil (4 February 2014). "UK scampi supplier ups share of retail market with acquisition". Undercurrent News. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  10. "Jobs boost for 'biggest' scampi factory". BBC News. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  11. Hayes, Julie (6 June 2012). "Tesco contract creates jobs at Whitby Seafoods". York Press. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  12. "Whitby Seafoods set to challenge the big brands". The Whitby Gazette. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  13. "Scampi factory gets unwrapped on TV". Whitby Gazette. 3 June 2013. ProQuest 1362052099.
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