Administration fears put 250 chilled and frozen food jobs at risk

Tillery Valley Foods has notified employees that it may enter into administration, potentially putting 250 jobs at risk, according to Community Union.

A worker at the manufacturer’s Abertillery site told local publication the South Wale Argus ​that employees were notified last week that Tillery Valley Foods has been placed onto an ‘accelerated sale’.

They believed that in the coming days there was every likelihood the business would go into administration and there was a high potential for doors shutting once and for all.

‘Great uncertainty’

Rob Edwards, Community Union’s regional secretary for Wales, described the workers as “walking down a path of great uncertainty”.​

“Tillery Valley Foods and the jobs of those who work there are vitally important to the local economy,”​ he added. The company is embedded in the community and provides unique skills-based employment offered nowhere else in the area.​

“Our focus now is supporting our members. We call on the company, the Welsh and UK Governments and all concerned to do all that they can to secure a future for Tillery Valley Foods and its loyal, dedicated workforce.”​

Should the company be put up for sale, Edwards called on the current owners to be responsible sellers and welcomed the opportunity to work with them and any potential buyers to ensure that workers are represented in the process.

Biggest employer

Reportedly the largest private sector employer in Abertillery, Tillery Valley Foods has supplied frozen meals to hospitals and schools for since the 80s. The company was owned by Sodexo until 2021, when it was bought by Joubere Food Group for an undisclosed sum.​​

Food Manufacture​ has approached Tillery Valley Foods for comment.

Meanwhile, insolvencies in the food and drink manufacturing industry have seen a steady decline since September last year, but a record number of insolvencies could be on the horizon for the manufacturing sector,​​ according to law firm Higgs.