The purchase agreement comprises the existing customer base, goodwill and relevant staff involved in the Sykes division, and the business will now trade under the JJ Food Service name.
Mustafa Kiamil, managing director of JJ, said: “We have for some time admired the Sykes business and its long history of supplying the North West with the highest quality ranges of fish and seafood, we feel this purchase is complimentary to the aims of both businesses and dovetails into the other product categories that JJ are supplying day in and day out to the fish and chip Sector.
“We will offer the current Sykes customer base the same great service they are used to but with even greater choice at the competitive prices that JJ have become renowned for.”
Alan Dale, managing director of Sykes Seafood, added: “The profile and mix of the Sykes business has changed over the last number of years and our focus has shifted towards developing both new and existing production facilities so we can become a truly integrated supplier and producer of all types of Seafood.
“In many respects a local end user delivery service in some ways conflicted with our larger group customers particularly within the Foodservice sector and so reaching agreement with JJ Food Service is a great outcome for both parties as it gives greater focus in both businesses to the areas they wish to grow, in our case that means production facilities, foodservice customers, manufacturers and retailers.”
The proposed implementation date for the merging of the two businesses is 1st October 2016.