Nigel Thomas strikes again

Also, dug this up in The Yorkshire Post - 1st December

Market leader Richmond Foods now casting eyes across the Channel

NOW that it's No 1 in the UK take-home ice cream sector, Richmond Foods is casting an eye over continental Europe.
Eric Barkas
But it's not going to teach the Italians how to make ice cream. Northern Europe is where the products and the way they are made is similar to the UK, Richmond chief James Lambert says.
Consolidation among food manufacturers on the Continent is being driven by the same forces as in the UK – the desire of retailers to deal with only a handful of chosen suppliers, he explains.
Companies like Nestle and Unilever are too big to be allowed by competition authorities to take part in consolidation. That leaves an opportunity for Richmond to transfer its skills across the Channel.
Mr Lambert says he would consider acquiring businesses if that route was cheaper than setting up a factory from scratch.
The Leeming Bar company has a good record on acquisitions. Deals for the ice cream businesses of Nestle and Associated British Foods have helped propel it up the ladder in the UK.
Yesterday, as it reported full year figures, Richmond claimed it had overtaken Walls in take home ice cream. Its market share rose from 29.1 per cent to 33.7 per cent, while Walls fell from 32.7 per cent to 31.3 per cent.
Nobody else comes close in this market, where Richmond makes 75 per cent of its sales. Mars is next with 9 per cent.
Richmond makes own-label ice cream for the big supermarket groups as well as branded ice cream products like Fab, Smarties, Rolo, Kit-Kat and Yorkie.
Its success in the year to September 26 came against the background of a take-home market that declined by 6.5 per cent. The ice cream market as a whole was down some 12 per cent, due mainly to the soggy summer compared with the heatwave of 2003.
Underlying pre-tax profits climbed 33.6 per cent to £14m on sales 12.9 per cent ahead at £143.6m. The dividend is up 33.3 per cent to 8p per share.
Mr Lambert acknowledges a small contribution from acquisitions – Richmond recently acquired De Roma and Oldfields – but says most of the improvement is due to the efficiencies and cost savings flowing from investment.
In the past three years Richmond has invested £27m, mainly in factories at Leeming Bar and Leeds. A similar sum is earmarked going forward. Some will go to the Wigan site acquired with De Roma.