BIRMINGHAM, England – 2 Sisters Food Group has agreed to acquire VION UK's red meat and poultry processing businesses, the company announced March 4.

VION's meat and poultry operations supply poultry, beef and lamb to retail and food service segments in the United Kingdom and Europe. The businesses include 11 processing sites spread across England, Scotland and Wales with approximately 6,000 employees. VION UK is a business arm of VION NV based in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

“We are delighted to be acquiring VION UK’s poultry and red meat businesses," said Ranjit Singh, CEO of 2 Sisters Food Group. "They have faced significant uncertainty and tough trading in recent months, but today’s acquisition secures a viable future. With the majority of the operations being in Scotland and Wales, we are delighted that the Scottish and Welsh governments are supportive of this deal and we look forward to working with them and developing a sustainable future for these businesses.

"This acquisition will safeguard a key supply chain for high quality British poultry and meat, offering reassurance to farmers in England, Scotland and Wales and upholding the quality and provenance that UK customers and consumers deserve.

"At 2 Sisters, we put the customer at the heart of everything we do and in line with our customers’ strategies, these businesses will help us to shorten the supply chain for consumers and meet growing demand for British sourced food. Our immediate focus will be to improve performance, as we have successfully done with our previous acquisitions. We look forward to welcoming VION colleagues to 2 Sisters Food Group, and to working together to grow our business.”

In February, VION NV also sold a 105,000-sq.-ft. meat processing facility in Winsford, Cheshire to Wm. Morrison Supermarkets plc. The company sold its UK pork operations in December 2012.

2 Sisters Food Group has 35 manufacturing sites in the UK and Ireland, six in Holland and one in Poland, according to the company. The company employs approximately 18,000 people with annual sales of more than £2.3 billion ($3.5 billion).

The company produces mostly private label products, although its branded products include Buxted, Devonshire Red, Fox’s Biscuits, Goodfella’s Pizza, Matthew Walker Christmas puddings and Green Isle vegetables.