After nearly 50 years in business, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.-based seafood wholesaler Dickie’s Seafood has shut down.
“Despite 46 years of delivering exceptional seafood products and serving our customer base in the Mid-Atlantic, Dickie's Seafood has ceased operations,” the company said on its Facebook page.
Known for its value-added shrimp, crab, and fish products, Dickie’s Seafood struggled to recover from a 2020 fire that destroyed its facility. The company was able to rebuild, officially reopening in 2022. The new seafood-processing facility was even awarded an “A” rating from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) for its food safety bona fides last year.
“Earning this A certification from BRC validates our ongoing meticulous commitment to food safety and our legendary commitment to quality,” Dickie’s Seafood CEO Frank Fay said at the time. “This is remarkable given the fact that we are in a brand new facility with all new operational processes. I am incredibly proud of our entire team including quality control, plant operations, and management.”
Ultimately though, the company’s business was unable to find solid footing after the fire.
“Fourteen months to rebuild is 14 months you’re out of the market and off the shelf,” Fay told Richmond Biz Sense. “We couldn’t get back into all the retailers because they found substitutes.”
Inflation, lawsuits over the fire, and a difficult economy all contributed to preventing the company from fully recovering, he added.
Dickie’s Seafood laid off most of its employees in June and is now selling off its assets, including the A-rated 16,000-square-foot seafood-processing facility. Fay told Richmond Biz Sense that the property is under contract to be bought by an undisclosed food-processing company.
“Dickie's faced significant challenges since reopening in 2022 after a devastating fire 18 months earlier,” the company said. “With that said, we are incredibly grateful to our loyal customers and legendary employees. We would not have made it to 46 years in business without their ongoing support. Thank you to everyone who enjoyed our products!”
