British crisp champion Burts bought by French conglomerate
British crisp company Burts Snacks has been bought by a major French conglomerate after almost three decades of family ownership.
The Plymouth-based business has been acquired by Paris-headquartered Europe Snacks, a major supplier of own-brand supermarket goods in Europe and the UK.
Burts was founded in 1997 by couple Richard and Linda Burt. They launched the company in Devon and began selling their upmarket crisps to independent local shops.
The company has been owned by businessman Jitendrakumar Patel and his family since 2014, when Mr Patel became its majority shareholder.
Mr Patel said: “Since investing in the company back in 2006, it has been a very enjoyable and impressive journey.
“It has been an honour to work with the Burts Family over the years and I would like to take this opportunity to wish the combined company every success in the years ahead.”
Burts' sales have risen sharply as it began to appear in national retailers, with turnover up by a fifth to £68m in 2021 according to its most recent financial results.
Burts has expanded the range of products it sells, moving into healthier snacks such as lentil crisps and flavoured popcorn to broaden its appeal, and changed its name from Burts Potato Crisps to Burts Snacks in 2019.
It is based in Roborough, Devon but also owns a factory in Leicester.
Europe Snacks entered the UK market in 2016 when it merged with Stevenage-based crisp company Kolak, and employs almost 1,000 people in the country, accounts show. It now supplies own-brand crisps to most of the major supermarkets.
Etienne Lecomte, chief executive of Europe Snacks, said: “Within a highly uncertain economic context, it is key to reach a size that allows us to keep investing in our people and in our factories.”
