Northern vegan food company Meatless Farm has entered administration and made its staff redundant, citing a lack of demand for meat-free products.
The Leeds-based company, first established in 2016 by Danish entrepreneur Morten Toft Bech, has become a fixture in major supermarkets over the years – establishing itself in the US, China, and several European countries, and at its peak selling over £11m worth of its plant-based ‘meat’ alternatives.
It had become well known for its meat alternatives with mince, chicken breasts, sausage and burgers once a popular choice, but now after a ‘difficult period’ the company has ceased trading, reports The Hoot.
Image: Meatless Farm
Image: Meatless Farm
On Friday 9 June 2023, Meatless Farm’s 50-strong workforce were made redundant and yesterday 13 June, the company entered administration.
Commercial director Tim Offer announced on his LinkedIn profile: “Sadly, my time at Meatless Farm has come to an end… the business has unfortunately made all the teams redundant.
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“I learnt a huge amount in a short space of time and have absolutely loved the people and the brand.”
Image: Meatless Farm
Image: Meatless Farm
Interim finance executive John Loughrey added: “Sadly things have not worked out for Meatless Farm so I am now looking for my next assignment, as will numerous other colleagues.
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“I have had a great time in a fantastic company, and have had the honour and pleasure of working with some amazing people. It is a shame the company has not made it through this difficult period and I wish all my former colleagues the best of luck for the future.”
Last month the company hired restructuring specialists Kroll in hopes of finding a buyer for the business.
Kroll announced yesterday that Geoff Bouchier and Benjamin Wiles have been appointed joint administrators to oversee the financial management of the business.
It comes amidst a slump in the overall demand for meat-free products.
Sausage producer Heck, also based in Yorkshire, recently reduced its vegan range citing a similar lack of customer demand for meat-free products.
While some parts of the vegan food industry continue to perform well, such as plant-based milks, cheese and yoghurt, analysis suggests that demand for plant-based ‘meats’ has slowed down.
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Daryll Umali, Managing Director at vegan food company Moving Mountains, said: “With one less brand advocating the environmental agenda, the news of Meatless Farms administration is a sad loss for the plantbased movement, and our thoughts are with all those who lost their jobs.
“However, we can confidently say this loss is not a reflection of the plantbased industry’s trajectory – the chopping and changing is part of the maturing process that comes with an evolving new industry.
“This is an exciting and fast-paced race to develop new and delicious products with advanced technologies and genuine IP. Some brands may unfortunately fall short through unsustainable business models, channeling disproportionate funds to brand building, and without a quality product to match the result is unprofitability – this is something our organically grown business isn’t subject to.
“In 2022, YouGov reported one in four consumers are reducing their meat intake. You only have to ask a group of millennials their coffee order (the answers an oat flat white) to hear the demand. And, the buoyancy and growth of Moving Mountains is testament to that unrelenting demand for plantbased options”
Featured image – Meatless Farm
Business
Club de Padel – The world’s fastest-growing sport is finally coming to Manchester this month
Daisy Jackson
The world’s fastest-growing sport is finally about to arrive in Manchester – and in a seriously impressive location.
Club de Padel is taking shape at the foot of the Deansgate Square skyscrapers and has officially locked in a launch date.
With four state-of-the-art panoramic courts, the new sports club will be bringing the global sports phenomenon to the city centre for the first time.
It will also have one of the city’s most popular brunch spots and coffee shops, Federal, on site to provide caffeine, snacks, and a selection of drinks in the evenings.
For those unfamiliar, Padel is a mash-up of tennis and squash, where players are enclosed by walls and can play the ball off any wall.
The sport was first invented in Mexico in the late 1960s but has exploded in popularity across Europe in recent years, drawing legions of famous fans.
Andy Murray, David Beckham, Pep Guardiola and Serena Williams have all declared themselves fans, and Lionel Messi went so far as to install a Padel court at his home.
Co-founder James Wigglesworth says: “We can’t get over the support we’ve had from the city so far, our inbox hasn’t stopped with people asking when we’re opening, when they can book, how they can learn to play – it’s been great.
“We’ve also discovered a hardcore element of ‘paddicts’ who travel miles every week to play and are just delighted that we’re landing on their doorstep.”
Club de Padel is partnering with Adidas and HEAD on its equipment and will have one of the UK’s top padel competitors, Alberto Cubero Torregrosa, as head coach.
Alberto said: “I can’t wait to get started at Club de Padel. Having grown up in Malaga, I have been playing padel for over 25 years, so I’m delighted to see it finally arrive in Manchester, where I now call home.
“It is important to me that everyone can enjoy this amazing sport, so it doesn’t matter if you are a complete beginner or an experienced player, I am committed to helping you improve and have fun while doing it.”
Club de Padel will officially open its doors on Tuesday 19 December, with bookings open from 5 December for Padel+ members and general public bookings from 12 December.
A look inside the brand-new M&S Trafford Centre ‘mega store’ as it finally opens its doors
Emily Sergeant
It’s been a long time coming… but the brand-new M&S at the Trafford Centre has finally opened its doors to the public.
And the first look images of the place prove it’s just as swanky as we were expecting.
In case you hadn’t heard, after it was revealed all the way back in January that M&S would be relocating from its old unit and taking over the former Debenhams site inside the Greater Manchester shopping centre, the retailer’s brand-new Trafford Centre store welcomed its first customers yesterday.
The new ‘mega store’ officially threw open its doors yesterday (30 November) at 10am, and it’s all just in time for Christmas, so shoppers can get stuck in to buying all their festive food and gifts before the big day arrives.
The brand-new M&S at the Trafford Centre has finally opened its doors / Credit: Supplied
Having opened as part of M&S‘ ongoing plans and wider investment to regenerate vacant sites in major UK shopping centres, the new M&S Trafford Centre store spans across a whopping 98,000 sq ft of commercial space.
Promising shoppers “an even bigger and better store”, there’s huge new “spacious and stylish” Clothing, Home, and Beauty departments, as well as a brand-new M&S Cafe, and the star of the show being the all-new “market style” Food Hall – which stocks the full M&S Food range, and has “wider and brighter aisles”, with free designated car parking to make shopping “more convenient”.
Percy Pig was on-hand to welcome shoppers to the new store, with the first 200 customers through the door handed ‘golden tickets’.
Every golden ticket holder was guaranteed a win. whether that be a free bag of Percy Pigs, freshly-baked cookies from the new M&S Bakery, or something even bigger – with one lucky customer even bagging a £200 M&S voucher to take home.
It promises shoppers “an even bigger and better store” / Credit: Supplied
180 new jobs have been created by the opening of the new store, and staff at M&S’ former Trafford Centre store have also transferred over to the new location.
The store is led by Store Manager, Laura Smith, along with a team of 420 M&S colleagues.
Soaking up the opening day celebrations, Laura said: “We are thrilled to officially open our brand-new store in the Trafford Centre. The last few weeks have been so exciting for us all as we’ve seen the store take shape, and I’d like to thank everyone in the team for all their hard work to make sure everything is ready for our customers today.
“The store is an exciting investment in the future of M&S in Trafford, and I can’t wait for our customers to explore all the new features that the store has to offer.”
Georgina Pellant -
14th June 2023 
