Canadian Company in Talks to Buy Birds-Eye Plant

by Contributor | February 8, 2012 7:14 am

There may be new life for the closed Birds-Eye plant in Fulton and new jobs for some of its former staff.

A Canadian firm is in talks to buy the plant, according to Fulton Mayor Ron Woodward.

The company is Spire Group Limited[1]. It is based in Toronto, Ontario.

Woodward said he was part of a group that met with an official of the company on Tuesday.

He said Spire Group is interested only in Birds-Eye’s cold storage warehouse.

The company’s website notes that Spire Group operates refrigerated storage warehouses in Canada and Europe. “Everest is currently exploring opportunities within the North American market through acquistion,” its website notes.

Woodward said the company official promised to hire laid-off former Birds-Eye workers for the several dozen positions that will be available.

If the sale is successful, Spire Group will own the entire plant and not just the refrigerated warehouse.  A source told Oswego County Today that Birds-Eye’s owner will not sell the plant[2] in pieces.

However, Woodward believes that having the warehouse available may make it more likely that a buyer or renter can be found for the food manufacturing portion of the plant, as a potential manufacturer will not have to take on the cost of the warehouse.

Finding a buyer for the Birds-Eye plant will soften the blow for the city and school district, and taxpayers, as a sale may result in lower taxes on the property but they are likely to be higher than if the plant is empty.

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Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/fulton/canadian-company-in-talks-to-buy-birds-eye-plant/

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