Jobs on line as QV looks to address cost base

Fresh produce giant QV Foods has put 140 jobs on the line as part of a move aimed at helping the business address its cost base.

The veg and potato growing and packing firm entered into a period of consultation with around 140 of its staff at its March potato packing site in Cambridgeshire about a proposal to consolidate the QV potato business to its Holbeach base in Lincolnshire.

The proposal would see around 125 new roles created at Holbeach, which is about 20-25 miles from March, and QV Foods has stressed that it hopes to minimise redundancies by finding suitable roles for as many of its affected March employees as possible.

The proposal is aimed at helping the company address its cost base and capacity needs for current business volumes, while also potentially helping QV Foods create headroom for future growth.

A company spokesperson said: “The owners of QV Foods are fully committed to growing the business for the future, but the company has to have an efficient cost platform on which to do this.

“The proposal to consolidate the potato business at the Holbeach site, which sits at the centre of our farming and packing operations, is a logical step to achieving this.

“We are now entering into consultation with our staff about this proposal: in the meantime, it’s business as usual.”

QV Foods, which featured in 16th place in the most recent FPJ Big 50 Companies, has a turnover of around £140 million, and is owned by AH Worth, a fourth generation family-owned farming and packing business.

Martin Taylor joined AH Worth as its new group MD in January 2016; a move which came at a similar period of time to a number of senior members of staff departing QV Foods.

QV Foods, which supplies fresh and prepared potatoes and veg to retailers, wholesalers, foodservice outlets and processors across the UK and Europe, extended its Veg Lovers brand into prepared towards the end of 2015, after being tasked by one of its key customers to bring a new branded range of fresh prepared veg and potatoes to market in less than a month.