Retail giant Morrisons has acquired Cornwall-based seafood wholesaler Falfish – and in doing so becomes the first supermarket chain to own a trawler.
Family-owned Falfish has been a supplier of fresh fish and shellfish to for more than 16 years and about 50% of Falfish’s £40million turnover is with Morrisons.
The company operates from two sites in Redruth and Falmouth docks and is owned by founder Ian Greet and his son Mark, who is the managing director.
READ MORE: {}
Mark Greet and all 140 Falfish staff will join Morrisons. The business has long-term relationships with the owners and skippers of more than 70 partner boats in the South West which land their total catch direct to Falfish. Falfish’s buyers also buy direct from the three key South West fish markets in Newlyn, Plymouth and Brixham.
It processes a range of 56 wild and farmed frozen and fresh seafood from British waters and the South West coastline. Its fish range includes turbot, sea bass, monkfish, Dover sole and hake and its shellfish range includes lobster, king scallops, crab, cuttlefish and whelks. Falfish’s customers include Morrisons, the 海角视频 restaurant trade and significant exports to Europe and the Far East.
Falfish also owns a 30ft trawler, the Jacqui A, which means Morrisons will become the first British supermarket to own a fishing boat.
Mark Greet said: “Falfish has been a supplier to Morrisons since 2004 and over the years this has become a very strong partnership. For my father Ian and our family, as part of the Cornish community, this acquisition ensures the continuing ethos of Falfish in upholding our relationships and values, and strengthens this for our colleagues, for the South West fishing fleet, and for all of our customers and stakeholders.
“The acquisition is great news for Falfish’s Cornish operations and the wider community, bringing investment and access to many new opportunities.”
Most Read
Morrisons said Falfish shares its commitment to sustainable fishing, currently funding and supporting the five year Fishery Improvement Programmes in the South West on Monkfish, Scallops, Crab and Lobster.
It has been a founding member of a multitude of programmes over the previous 15 years that have been at the forefront of delivering sustainable fishing practices and healthy stocks for future generations.
The business has also worked on fishing gear trials aimed at reducing discards, alternative market projects for under utilised British species and fishing gear recycling.
How to contact William Telford and Business Live
Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
To contact William: Email: william.telford@reachplc.com - Phone: 01752 293116 - Mob: 07584 594052 - Twitter: - LinkedIn: - Facebook:
Stay in touch: BusinessLive newsletters have been re-designed to make them even better. We send morning bulletins straight to your inbox on the latest news, views and opinion in the South West. Get our breaking news alerts and weekly sector reviews too. Sign up now - it's free and it only takes a minute. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click .
And visit the Business Live South West LinkedIn page
Andrew Thornber, Morrisons’ manufacturing director, said: “Falfish is a great fit with Morrisons; not only is it a great British company supplying high quality fish and shellfish, but they also share our passion for sustainability and for local sourcing.
Morrisons said the acquisition will mean further improvements to the range, quality and availability of fresh fish and shellfish at its Market Street counters and represents another significant investment in fresh food and foodmaking when other supermarkets have been retreating from using counters.
Following the deal more than 80% of Morrisons fish and shellfish - both in its 497 stores and online business - will come from Morrisons wholly-owned seafood operations.
Don’t miss
Morrisons already owns two seafood processing sites close to the docks in Grimsby. The sites cover 155,000sq m and employ about 634 people. Grimsby processes 12,000 tonnes of seafood every year, including salmon, prawns and fish mixes.
Mr Thornber said: “Bringing Falfish into Morrisons further strengthens our position as Britain’s biggest foodmaker. Our manufacturing operations employ circa 9,000 people at 19 sites throughout Britain, providing around 25% of everything that Morrisons sells. The acquisition of Falfish means that over 80% of our fish and shellfish will now come from our own operations.”