New Zealand fishing and seafood-processing company Sanford has purchased the Jones Group, also of New Zealand, for an undisclosed sum. The deal includes a 13 percent stake in the Bluff oyster fishery, with other assets including 500 tons of inshore fish, such as blue cod, school shark, monkfish and crayfish, and 500 tons of deepwater fish.
Eric Barratt, Sanford's managing director, told the Dominion Post that the acquisition, especially the iconic oyster fishery, was a key strategic move for the company.
A processing plant operated by the family-owned Jones Group will likely be sold, but the company's estimated 50 employees will be taken care of, according to Jones Group Director Warren Conway.
