A BRADFORD food manufacturer has bought its first non-food and drink firm for an undisclosed sum.

Regal Food Products Group, the food group behind household brands Regal Foods and Yorkshire Baking Company, has acquired Packaging ‘R’ Us.

The deal comes in response to the group’s long-term vision of expanding and strengthening its wholesale and food service offering while providing a diverse product range within its brand portfolio.

Since the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, the Regal group, based at Regal House on Wallis Street, and set up in 2001, has identified the importance of becoming a one-stop solution for their customers, delivering services including finished goods, ingredients, and now packaging.

Packaging ‘R’ Us is a well-established catering supplier which manufactures and specialises in a wide range of disposable food packaging solutions, including foil containers, catering foil, disposable utensils, and plastic containers.

Younis Chaudhry, CEO of Regal Food Products Group Plc, hailed the deal with Packaging ‘R’ Us as an exciting milestone for the company.

He said: “Following on from our Just Desserts Yorkshire acquisition 18 months ago, we are delighted to be bringing our first non-food and drink business into the Regal group.

“Acquiring Packaging ‘R’ Us will allow us to develop our wholesale arm of the business, whilst offering our customers an eclectic range that will naturally sit alongside our existing products and brands.

“As a PLC we recognised a business that presented itself with opportunities and using our existing teams, manufacturing expertise, distribution networks and channels to market, we can really build and scale what is already a great business.

“This is an extremely exciting milestone in the Regal journey, as we not only welcome our first non-food brand into the group but relocate Packaging ‘R’ Us and its production to our main manufacturing and distribution facilities to Bradford.”

Mr Chaudhry added Regal still has Bradford at its core and its new site has created 20 new jobs in the district.

He said: “As a business that has the Bradford community close to its heart, we are pleased the new production site will create approximately 20 new jobs offering employment in a range of key areas, whilst providing platforms and opportunities for personal development.”

It is the latest move for Regal Foods Products Group, which acquired Shipley-based Just Desserts in January 2022, a firm which specialises in baking hand-crafted desserts and cakes.