It has been confirmed that the Nottingham depot owned by Hunt’s Food Group has closed, with staff made redundant.
The Nottingham site was the former HQ of The Health Store, which transferred to Hunt’s Food Group when the company bought The Health Store from administrators in September 2022. At the time, administrators, Interpath, confirmed that as part of the sale, 17 employees at The Health Store’s base in Nottingham would transfer to the purchaser.
In more recent months, it’s believed the site has housed more of the health and beauty offering of the Hunt’s distribution business, but it has now been confirmed that the Nottingham site has closed, and employees have been made redundant. Health Food Business requested confirmation on the number of staff that have been made redundant, but this had not been revealed by Hunt’s by the time this story went online.
In a statement released to Health Food Business, a Hunt’s Food Group Spokesperson said: “Hunt’s Food Group has made the difficult decision to close its Nottingham depot, effective January 15, 2024. This decision follows 18 months since the acquisition of The Health Store, which included the opportunity to retain the depot lease and staff members with extensive industry knowledge and experience who would have otherwise faced redundancy.
“Despite Hunt’s Food Group’s unwavering support and substantial financial investments, the company was unable to meet the benchmarks necessary to secure the future viability of the Nottingham depot. The Managing Director and senior team members visited the site to engage with the impacted staff and communicate the regrettable necessity of the closure.
“Hunt’s Food Group acknowledges the dedication and hard work of all colleagues who contributed to the Nottingham depot. The decision to close the facility was not taken lightly, and the business is committed to supporting affected colleagues as they navigate the transition and seek alternative employment opportunities. We want to express gratitude for the commitment and efforts of its Nottingham depot team and assure all stakeholders that every measure will be taken to facilitate a smooth transition for employees and customers.”
Questioned on how the closure will impact retail customers, the statement continued: “The closure will result in a revised service area, but some customers previously serviced by our Nottingham depot will continue to be served from other depots within our network. Hunt’s Food Group has proactively contacted all customers affected by the Nottingham depot closure, providing recommendations for trusted distributors operating in the region to minimise disruptions to their business operations. All our product lines and packing operations in the Nottingham depot have been relocated to the Bridgwater depot.”
