Kanes Foods goes into administration and shuts Evesham salad factory, 662 jobs lost

PwC has been appointed administrator of Kanes Foods, which makes bagged salads, stir-fry vegetable mixes and fresh noodles at its factory on Cleeve Road, Middle Littleton. Nigel Huddleston, MP for Droitwich and Evesham, said PwC had contacted him and confirmed the administration, with 662 jobs gone. A security guard told the Cotswold Journal on Tuesday that all workers were sent away on Monday and only the administrators remained.

Huddleston said he was working with PwC and the DWP, the government's benefits department, on help for the workers, many of whom have questions about redundancy pay. In Great Britain, employees of an insolvent company claim statutory redundancy pay, unpaid wages and holiday pay from the government through the Insolvency Service, and they need a case reference number from the insolvency practitioner to do it. We found no public statement from PwC on Tuesday saying when staff will receive those numbers.

Kanes supplies supermarkets and food businesses, so shoppers have no orders at stake. Its suppliers are exposed. Huddleston said it was still unclear if any part of the business could be sold, and warned that other firms in the supply chain could be hit. No figure for the company's debts is on the public record, and no date for creditors to vote on the administrators' proposals has been announced.

Companies House lists Kanes Foods Limited as company number 02438826, incorporated on 1 November 1989. On Tuesday the register still showed it as active, with no administration filing yet. Hannah Robson, who represents the Littletons on Worcestershire County Council, said Kanes had been a major local employer for 37 years. The Cotswold Journal said it had asked the company and the Unite union for comment.