Greencore closes sandwich plant in England on temporary basis after large Covid outbreak                  

Around 300 workers in the sandwich plant tested positive for Covid-19

Patrick Coveney, chief executive of Greencore. Picture: Gary O' Neill

A Greencore plant in Northampton in England producing sandwiches for Marks & Spencer and other retailers has been forced to shut on a temporary basis after a major Covid-19 outbreak at the facility was detected last week.  

The company which is led by Patrick Coveney has shifted some production to other facilities in England.

The shares slipped 1% on the latest news but are down almost 40% in the past year.

Around 300 staff, or 14% of the plant's workforce, had been found to have caught Covid, representing a major outbreak in the English midlands.                

Greencore said that the decision on Friday to close the plant  "temporarily" was taken after consulting with the UK's health authorities.

"This decision will allow all remaining colleagues at the site to self-isolate as a precautionary measure, and has been taken as part of the region’s ongoing efforts to reduce the spread of the virus and keep our colleagues safe," the company said. 

"We will continue to work closely with them in order to bring the site back safely into production as soon as possible, as colleagues who are self-isolating begin to return.

"We have moved a proportion of production from the Northampton facility to other sites within the Greencore network, and are working with the affected customer to help mitigate any shortfall," Greencore said.