Rectory Foods’ sales not chicken feed

A poultry supplier based at Holmes Chapel is predicting further growth for 2010 after increasing sales to a record £26m in 2009. The firm said that it increased staff numbers at its Cheshire headquarters and created two new divisions – one looking after frozen veg and ingredients, and a new technical department responsible for auditing both its own suppliers and its customer base.

"This is an exciting time for us, as we are becoming more of a force in the poultry industry," said the firm’s founder, Charles Woolley.

"Our sales are up 18 per cent compared with last year and in 2010, we are investing in new equipment, creating new departments, which means taking on more staff, developing new products, and aim to become the industry’s first choice poultry and vegetable supplier. We also aim to increase our presence in retail by developing more premium and added-value products."

The firm, which was set up in 1996, said that it is bucking a trend in the sector. A recent report by industry analysts, Plimsoll, said that over £330m worth of profit was knocked off pountry companies’ profits last year rand predicted that up to 9,000 jobs are expected to go if poultry companies are to remain profitable.