Major British meat supplier crashes into administration with 130 jobs at risk

Holmesterne Foods, a long-established North Yorkshire meat supplier that operated for almost 40 years, has collapsed into administration with the majority of its 130 employees facing redundancy.

The company, formally known as Holmesterne Farm Co. Limited, appointed joint administrators on May 11, according to a notice published in the London Gazette.

The business cited an unsustainable financial environment alongside rising operating costs as the primary reasons behind its collapse.

Founded in 1986, Holmesterne Foods had experienced financial difficulties for several years before ultimately entering administration.

Throughout 2025, the company faced growing losses as expenses linked to ingredients, packaging and factory operations continued to increase.

Management introduced a turnaround programme in an attempt to stabilise the business, although those efforts ultimately failed to secure its future.

The administration appointment was made through the High Court of Justice, Business and Property Courts, Leeds Insolvency and Companies List.

Holmesterne Foods supplied meat and vegetable products to major retailers including Asda, alongside manufacturers and food service businesses.

Its product range included raw, cooked, chilled and frozen products, with items spanning sausages, ribs, kebabs, marinated meats and stuffings.

The company operated from two production facilities in North Yorkshire, with its main manufacturing site based at Gatherley Road Industrial Estate in Brompton on Swale near Richmond, alongside a second factory at Leeming Bar.

Holmesterne originally began as a catering butchery business before expanding into value-added food manufacturing operations.

In July 2025, the business was acquired by Leeds-based Troy Foods in a move that initially raised hopes over the company’s long-term future.

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However, the acquisition failed to reverse Holmesterne’s financial decline, with management stating ongoing industry pressures and rising costs proved too difficult to overcome despite the change in ownership.

The company has now started winding down operations across both sites.

Most of the workforce is expected to be made redundant, although a small number of employees will remain temporarily to assist administrators during the closure process.

James Clark and Howard Smith, both partners at Interpath Advisory, have been appointed as joint administrators.

The collapse marks a major setback for the North Yorkshire region, where Holmesterne Foods had been a longstanding employer for decades.

At the Brompton on Swale site, in-house butchers processed red meat and poultry while also producing meatballs, barbecue products and stuffings.

Meanwhile, the Leeming Bar facility focused on cooked meat production and prepared vegetables for customers across chilled, frozen and ambient food sectors.

James Clark, managing director at Interpath Advisory and joint administrator, said: "It is a real shame to see Holmesterne enter administration, particularly after the sale of the business last year and the renewed optimism that followed."

"Despite the best efforts of both the management team and the new owners, the headwinds facing the business sadly proved too challenging to overcome.

"Our immediate priority is to support employees through this difficult period, and we will be doing all we can to assist them in the days and weeks ahead."

The collapse comes less than a year after Troy Foods acquired the business in an effort to secure its future, with the administration process now bringing an end to nearly four decades of trading for the North Yorkshire supplier.

Interpath Advisory said supporting affected employees would remain its main priority as the wind-down of operations continues.

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