“New” old name returns for Cumbria-based smokehouse.
Salmon smoker Grants Oak – formerly called Macknight – posted its annual report for the year ended 31st December 2018.
“The company had a very successful year financially whilst adhering to high standards of quality and sustainability. Sales increased by 3.7 per cent,” it wrote.
It also said that the company was successful in gaining new customers both in the UK and overseas.
In particular, Grants wrote there was “significant growth in export sales on the back of the companies traditional smoking process”.
The family company has been based in Maryport, Cumbria, for nearly 40 years and makes high-end products such Grants Traditionally Smoked Rope Hung Salmon.
It said that operating level profits increased 36.9 per cent to GBP 669,657.
Turnover increased from GBP 16.7 million in 2017 to GBP 17.4 million in 2018.
In order to safeguard Brexit – which “continues to cast a shadow over business and the seafood industry in particular, with the prospect of tariffs, increased regulation and currency swings”, Grants increased the holdings of critical materials, increased its freezer capacity and reviewed logistic arrangements with haulers.
The company changed its name back to Grants in 2018. This coincided with the company’s acquisition by Buckhead Capital Corporation, a US company owned by Grants founder Jonathan Brown.
