New Zealand's biggest grocery distributor, Foodstuffs, has taken over Leigh Fisheries with the Lee Fish brand, which will be available in New World, PAK’nSAVE, and Four Square stores, as well as Gilmours wholesalers, by August.
Foodstuffs CEO Chris Quin said the acquisition of Leigh Fisheries will bring more value to quality seafood.
“We know New Zealanders want great value, they want us to care about the environment, and they want us to bring them healthy food for their families. We’re constantly looking at new ways we can do this for our customers. So today, we’ve got some exciting news to share – we’ve signed an agreement to purchase Leigh Fisheries Ltd who is one of New Zealand’s leading independent fishing companies, with the highly regarded, premium 'Lee Fish’ brand,” Quin told Supermarket News in July, when the acquisition was announced.
Leigh Fisheries was founded 1958 and has grown so that it now provides an assortment of seafood products into more than 300 of New Zealand’s top restaurants and international markets. The company says on its website it is known globally “as the leader in the industry and is a prime source for premium-quality chilled seafood.”
Foodstuffs National Seafood Manager Dave Jose said the takeover of Leigh Fisheries will enable the supermarket chain to supply snapper, tarakihi, hāpuku, and line-caught tuna to customers.
Foodstuffs said it was attracted to enter into business with Leigh Fisheries because of its “strong environmental values, a world-class brand, and a promise to guarantee customers the best quality fish on the market.”
Leigh Fisheries has a total of 53 independent boats fishing under the company, including those catching lobster (crayfish), snapper, john dory, bluenose, and groper, as well as long-line tuna boats fishing for southern bluefin tuna and swordfish.
