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Baltic takeover for historic Aberdeen firm

Andrew Leigh, founding chairman, and his son Christopher Leigh, managing director, who receive the Queen's Award for their  smoked salmon company John Ross Jr. 

Picture by KEVIN EMSLIE
Andrew Leigh, founding chairman, and his son Christopher Leigh, managing director, who receive the Queen's Award for their smoked salmon company John Ross Jr. Picture by KEVIN EMSLIE

A 160-year-old smokehouse which supplies fish to the Queen has been swallowed up by a Baltic food production giant.

John Ross Jnr (Aberdeen) – whose brick kilns have been used to process salmon since 1857 – and a Gloucester-based sister company, Coln Valley, are now owned by Estonia-based PRFoods after a £13million-plus takeover.

It marks the end of about 30 years of family ownership led by Andrew Leigh, 71, who built an international food brand exporting to more than 30 countries.

Mr Leigh is leaving the business after a transition period but other family members, including his son, Christopher, and sales and marketing director Victoria Leigh-Pearson have become directors and shareholders of a new holding company under the PRFoods umbrella.

Christopher Leigh said recently a 123% increase in busines rates meant the firm could “no longer be as competitive both domestically and internationally” as before.

But a statement from Torry-based Ross yesterday said it now had an opportunity to significantly expand its distribution and product range “in tandem with delivering economic growth within the Aberdeen and Gloucester economies through anticipated job creation and investment”.

Ms Leigh-Pearson added: “Whilst we’re moving forward with new opportunities, we remain fully committed to our Aberdeen heritage and retaining our world-renowned approach to producing award-winning products using traditional techniques.”

The Aberdeen smokehouse, which also supplies Harrods in London, was started by John Ross in 1857. It employed about 80 people during the year to June 2016.

PRFoods has been listed on the Tallinn Stock Exchange since May 2010. It sells across Europe as well as supplying the Japanese market.