Dairy Crest profits in Shropshire up

Profits at Dairy Crest's Shropshire operation increased by 18 per cent despite the company making overall losses of £10.1 million.

Dairy Crest said the spreads division, which has factories at Kirkby and Crudgington, saw profits rise to £63 million.

The maker of Cathedral City, Clover and Country Life also saw its flagship supermarket food brand sales grow by 11 per cent in the year to March 31 but the dairies arm, which supplies milk to retailers as well as coffee shops and hospitals, saw profits cut by more than half to £10.2 million.

With Dairy Crest slashing the value of the dairy business and taking a charge for the closure of two bottling plants, the company plunged to a bottom-line loss from a profit of £77.8m a year ago.