One of the UK’s meat processing companies, Tulip, has warned it may have to close its plant in Boston, Lincolnshire after the loss of a major retail contract.
More than 460 people are employed at the firm’s factory in Boston. It comes less than a year after Tulip cut 150 jobs from its plant in Cornwall.
A spokesperson for Tulip said: “We have been notified of a decision in respect of a tender process with a key customer.
The outcome is not what we had expected and clearly we are all deeply disappointed by this news.
Tulip employs around 7,000 people across the UK at 17 sites. The profitability of Tulip, the UK arm of Danish Crown, had been criticised by bosses in the company’s most recent accounts.
The firm had supplied Marks & Spencer for around 30 years but has not been successful in securing a new deal.
Unless new contracts are secured, the site could close as soon as August.
A spokesperson for M&S said: “We understand that there are some impacts locally when changes are made, and we will always work with our suppliers to support them and make those changes in the right way.
“While we won’t be working with Tulip at the Boston site, they remain an important supplier for other products, and we will be doing all we can to support them as they consult with their team.”
