Job losses to take £20m off Minsterley Uniq dairy value

The value of a Shropshire dairy will fall by £20 million when it sheds hundreds of staff, it has been revealed.

Uniq is to close the Everyday Desserts division of its Minsterley dairy, with the loss of 350 jobs. And as the firm released its interim results today, it admitted the value of the Minsterley site would fall by £20 million as a consequence.

"The carrying value of assets at Minsterley – £47 million as at June 30 – will reduce by approximately £20 million as a result of the asset write-off associated with both the Yogurt and the Everyday dessert business units," the company said in its statement.

Uniq also announced reduced losses in its desserts division and improved its sandwich sales as it gears up for takeover by Greencore.

Underlying profits rose by 47 per cent to £4.7 million in the half year to June 30 after Food to Go sales rose by nine per cent, offsetting an eight per cent fall on the desserts side.

Uniq said today that profits at Food to Go, rose to £5.8 million from £5 million, offset by losses of £1.1 million in desserts.