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Drinks firm rescued

A famous North East soft drinks brand has been revitalised after a new owner bought it out of administration.

The 120-year-old, Sunderland-based Villa Soft Drinks almost went bust last year, but has been rescued by Malcolm Slatcher.

Mr Slatcher, who is already owner of the Teesside-based Bottling Company, believes the strength of the Villa name and its other main brand, Hadrian bottled water, will ensure its future.

Mr Slatcher said: “The major attraction of the company is that it is such a strong brand. As soon as I heard it was in administration I saw the opportunity. We are now in a position to build upon the existing customer base and we have the potential to double production volumes.”

In December 27 of the company’s 58 employees were made redundant after the business was placed in the hands of administrators BDO Stoy Hayward, of Leeds.

Mr Slatcher’s purchase will safeguard the jobs of the current 25 workers and create nine new roles.

He added: “I am delighted we have been able to prevent the closure of a much-loved North East brand. I believe we can increase turnover from the current £6m to £10m over the next few years and employ more local staff. This project heralds a new dawn for Villa Soft Drinks.”

The Bottling Company was opened by Mr Slatcher in 1998 and manufactures drinks for leading brands including Vimto. It employs 35 staff and has an annual turnover of £6m.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .