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Bernard Matthews Foods is to close its processing facility on Shaftesbury Street South in Derby, UK, by the end of 2026, with around 600 jobs understood to be affected.
The poultry producer confirmed the closure following the conclusion of collective consultation with employees and trade union representatives. The company said the decision followed continued financial losses and a combination of economic and geopolitical pressures affecting the site and its supply chain.
The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) has said it is supporting employees affected by the proposed closure.
The company attributed the decision to “continued significant financial losses”, alongside external economic challenges and the wider geopolitical environment.
It specifically cited Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East as factors that have had a significant impact on the site and its supply chain.
Bernard Matthews said it would seek to support affected employees through potential redeployment opportunities elsewhere within the business, as well as working with local organisations to identify alternative employment opportunities.
The Derby closure comes two years after Bernard Matthews announced plans to shut its cooked meats facility at Great Witchingham in Norfolk, the historic headquarters of the business.
Production from the Norfolk plant was subsequently transferred to five other UK sites, including Derby, Holton in Suffolk and Sunderland. The company said in 2024 that the Great Witchingham cooked meats operation would close as part of a restructuring of its manufacturing footprint.
Bernard Matthews continues to operate processing and production sites in Sunderland and Holton, according to the company's website.
The Bernard Matthews name became synonymous with turkey production in Britain after founder Bernard Matthews built the business from a small-scale farming operation into one of Europe's largest turkey enterprises.
Matthews entered the Guinness Book of Records in the 1960s after becoming the biggest turkey farmer in Europe. The business subsequently developed into a major branded food producer.
Matthews died in 2010. Six years later, the company was acquired by Ranjit Singh Boparan, founder of 2 Sisters Food Group.
The company has since operated within Boparan's wider food business, with its manufacturing network undergoing a number of changes in recent years.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Bernard Matthews said: “We are a proud British food business committed to providing quality, affordable food, that's better for people and the planet. For the past two years, we have urged the Government to take urgent action to support the UK’s fragile food supply chain.”
The company said farmers and food manufacturers were facing rising costs and increasing complexity, which it argued were restricting growth, contributing to food inflation and undermining UK food security.
It called for targeted government measures around supply-chain resilience, planning and taxation, warning that without intervention “more farms and food manufacturing sites will close”.
The company also said further closures could increase the UK's reliance on imports and weaken both food and national security.
The Derby facility is expected to remain operational until the end of 2026, giving affected employees and the business time to work through redeployment and alternative employment options.
