WFF (York) Limited

WFF (York) Limited, an operator of the UK’s leading frozen meal home delivery business Wiltshire Farm Foods, has been sold to York Group Limited in a deal advised by Smith Cooper.

The sale of the franchise marks the retirement of the sellers who set up the business as a Wiltshire Farm Foods franchise over 20 years ago and have successfully grown the business, becoming one of the leading meal delivery providers operating in the York and Hull area.

Former co-owner, Barry Bradfield, commented: “Having been a part of Wiltshire Farm Foods continued success over the last few years, it was imperative that we found an investor who shared our vision to invest in WFF (York) Limited and wanted to nurture it further from the strong base which we’ve established”.

York Group Limited, owned by Amarjit Rai and Lacky Sohal, has acquired the entire issued share capital of WFF (York) Limited from the sellers. Amarjit and Lacky have successful backgrounds in Royal Mail, the health service and in franchise brands such as Costa and Pizza Hut Delivery. Their combined plethora of experience will lend well to this latest venture.

David Crump and John Farnsworth of Smith Cooper’s corporate finance division were appointed to provide full sale process management services to the sellers during the transaction. This included marketing, buyer identification, negotiation and process management.

John Farnsworth said: “We are delighted to have secured an exit for the Bradfield’s who have operated WFF (York) Limited successfully for over 20 years. I believe this success will be continued by their successors”.

Legal advice was provided by Martyn Brierley and Will Bowler from award-winning Derby based law firm, Flint Bishop. Martyn Brierley commented: “It was a pleasure to work with the Bradfields and Smith Cooper on this transaction.  The Bradfields have worked hard to develop a strong business, giving the experienced buyers an excellent platform from which to continue growth”.

Smith Cooper has an established track record within the food sector, ranging from wholesaling of commodities to food manufacturing and retail. The sale of WFF (York) Limited is the fourth frozen meal delivery transaction on which the firm have advised.

Wiltshire Farm Foods is the UK’s leading frozen meals home delivery service. It operates a franchise model consisting of over 70 local delivery businesses throughout the UK. The holding company of the Wiltshire Farm Foods brand is apetito, a global business which manufactures and supplies nutritionally balanced meals to Care Homes, Local Authorities and Hospitals and, through WFF, to individual households. Spokesman for Wiltshire Farm Foods, Lee Sheppard, Director of Operations and Performance said “we are delighted to welcome Amarjit and Lacky to our team and wish Barry a long and enjoyable retirement.”

“The professionality and guidance provided by David and John was exceptional and this, together with their industry knowledge and the excellent service provided by Flints, made the sale as smooth as possible”.

–