Factory offers hope to Pinneys staff

CAVAGHAN and Gray, the seafood business owned by the 2 Sisters group, is creating at least 200 jobs at its Carlisle factory – with some of those vacancies likely to be offered to Pinneys workers in Annan. The £7 million investment follows an announcement that the company has won a major contract to produce a new range of ready meals for Marks and Spencer. Part of the new work is thought to have come from the Young’s Pinneys site, which has now all but ceased fish production. But Annan and Carlisle are only a few miles apart and are linked by good road connections. The development is the latest in a remarkable merry-go-round of fish contracts passing from one company to another over the past few months. In April, 2 Sisters announced the closure of its Five Star Fish factory in Grimsby, which produced coated fish for M&S. That work has gone to Young’s in Grimsby. Cavaghan and Gray said it is investing around £7 million at its Carlisle site, which includes a number of M&S fish ranges and some of the retailer’s Gastropub meals. One local MP has suggested that some of the 450 Pinneys staff who have just lost their jobs may go to work in Carlisle. John Stevenson, Carlisle’s Conservative MP, described the investment as ‘fantastic news for the area’. ‘This obviously creates opportunity for people in Carlisle, but also has a wider context. We saw Scottish factory Pinneys close down so we could see workers come here.’ William Duncanson, the factory\'s site director, told the local BBC news: ‘This is a huge commitment - we are investing £7 million on a five-year agreement with Marks and Spencer. ‘But obviously we still have a very strong core base business with Marks and Spencer going back 50 years. ‘We produced some of their very first prepared meal dishes and that is a partnership that\'s gone from strength to strength.’ Picture: MP John Stevenson at the Carlisle site (Photo: 2 Sisters)