Lazy Day Foods was founded in 2006 as a fully free-from bakery manufacturer, including gluten, milk, eggs and nuts. The growth of the specialist bakery business saw it move into a purpose-built facility in Harthill in 2017. 

The manufacturer supplies both branded and private label products to UK retailers, and Lazy Day said its consumer facing free-from brand had strong shopper recognition, presenting “new opportunities” for Baker & Baker to expand its customer offering across the free-from segment.

This is the second acquisition made by Baker & Baker since becoming a standalone bakery products business, following the deal to acquire its Pastel de Nata facility in Peniche, Portugal in 2022.

Following the completion of this deal, Baker & Baker has expanded its UK manufacturing footprint to five sites, including its first in Scotland, and increased its overall employee headcount to 2,650 people. 

Lazy Day Foods currently employs around 190 staff at its Harthill site in North Lanarkshire, where it manufactures approximately 75 permanent and seasonal product lines for mainly UK retail and foodservice customers. The Lazy Day Foods consumer-facing brand will be retained, and this will be marketed with B&B’s existing UK and international customer base.

Matthew Acheson, CEO of Baker & Baker, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Lazy Day Foods into the Baker & Baker family. We have strong expertise in gluten-free bakery via our Ashington site, and this acquisition supports our expansion into the adjacent category of ‘free-from’, which represents an exciting area of growth.

“We believe that our scale and broad customer relationships will accelerate the growth of Lazy Day Foods, while Lazy Day Foods’s deep experience and expertise will further enhance our capabilities and category offering.

“We’re firmly committed to maintaining the operation and employee base at the Lazy Day Foods site in Harthill, and we expect to see the business continue to flourish – we’re excited about the growth possibilities over the coming years.”

Lazy Day Foods shareholders, David Kilshaw, chairman, and joint managing directors Emer Bustard and Dr Sally Beattie stated: “We are immensely proud of what Lazy Day Foods has become since it was founded in 2006. Our mission has always been to make great tasting free-from and vegan treats so that no one missed out on the joys of everyday life. We’d like to thank our fantastic team in Harthill, and our customers and suppliers, for their support over the years.

“In Baker & Baker, we have found the ideal owner to take the business forward. They have the scale, expertise and international reach to bring Lazy Day to many more free-from shoppers.

“We are delighted that the Lazy Day brand and our Harthill site will be at the heart of Baker & Baker’s free-from growth plans, and we’re confident the business and its people have a very bright future ahead.”