United Biscuits lorry

UB began consultations at its head office last month

United Biscuits has laid off about 40 staff at its head office in Middlesex - weeks after making a similar number of factory workers redundant.

The UK’s leading biscuit manufacturer, whose brands include McVitie’s Digestives, Hobnobs, Twiglets and Mini Cheddars, began consultations with staff at its Hayes office last month, and confirmation of the redundancies was completed last week.

United Biscuits refused to say which parts of the business had been affected, but insiders claimed none of the losses had come from the sales force.

“The Department of Employment was informed at the beginning of October that we would be making circa 40 roles redundant at our head office,” UBUK said in a statement.

“We have gone through the formal consultation process, which has been approved by the employee representatives, and the process has now been concluded.”

The HQ redundancies come two months after United Biscuits restructured its factory in Wigston, Leicestershire, resulting in the loss of 36 operator roles.

The redundancies follow the arrival, in May, of former Birds Eye and PepsiCo boss Martin Glenn, who replaced Benoit Testard as CEO.

Glenn has been charged by private equity owners PAI and Blackstone with reinvigorating UBUK’s biscuit operations following the sale of its savoury snacks arm KP Snacks - which includes Hula Hoops, McCoy’s and KP Nuts - to Intersnack last December for £500m, at a nine times EBITDA multiple.