| 24/08/2009 |
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| Scotland's First Minister Welcomes £2M Investment At Macrae Fraserburgh |
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Scotland's First Minister was in Fraserburgh today to welcome a £2M investment by Macrae (part of The Seafood Company).
Macrae Fraserburgh has a core staff of 550 but employs up to 800 during peak season, contributing more than £9 million to the local economy.
The company has now finished its £1 million refurbishments to its smoked fish facilities with a new kiln built on site and the addition of new loading bays. A further £1 million of upgrades to the site will be made over the next two years.
First Minister Alex Salmond said:
“Macrae Fraserburgh has a vital role within the local economy. The company’s continued growth, investment and employment in Fraserburgh brings significant benefits to the North East economy. It is the area’s largest employer and contributes more than £9 million to the Scottish economy.
“The £2 million upgrade of the factory will provide better facilities for the 800 staff working at the seafood factory and enable even greater outturn of produce.
“The Fraserburgh factory produces 3.4 million packs of fish, largely salmon, every month. I am particularly impressed to hear that if the 2.6 million salmon processed each year, 99 per cent of which comes from Scotland, were laid end to end it would span 1,250 miles, proving the global reach of the Fraserburgh company!
“Macrae is a key player in Scotland’s food industry and a great contributor to our economy. I wish the company and its staff the very best in its improved site.”
Pete Ward, managing director of The Seafood Company which owns Macrae Fraserburgh, said:
“This investment is part of an ongoing programme to shape our business for future growth, improving our processing capacity and building on what is a very strong existing operation. The Fraserburgh factory plays an important role in the Scottish and local economy, buying around £43 million worth of fish every year from Scotland and at peak times, such as now in the run-up to Christmas, employing over 800 staff, an additional 250 staff on our year-round operation.”
The 220,000 sq ft factory sells retailer brands to the UK’s key supermarket chains, producing around 3.4 million packs of fish per month and has the capacity to process 2.6 million salmon a year.
It contributes £9 million to the local economy and buys around £43 million worth of fish every year from Scotland. This rises to £125 million across its parent company, The Seafood Company.
Notes for editors
Macrae Fraserburgh was founded in 1965. In 2004 it was purchased by Capvest and in 2007 became part of what is today The Findus Group, parent company of The Seafood Company, Young’s Seafood and Findus.
Macrae’s main process is in ready-to-eat salmon (hot and cold smoked, poached and honey roast flakes). It also produces smoked fish (kippers and cold smoked mackerel), natural fish (white fish and smoked white fish), surimi and shellfish (predominantly prawn cocktail and Orkney crabs).
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