Greencore grows in US with deal for 7-Eleven sandwich supplier Marketfare

Greencore Group has grown its US food-to-go business after buying American supplier Marketfare Foods for $36m (£22.6m).

Marketfare has supplied 7-Eleven for more than 20 years, its sandwiches being sold in more than 1,100 stores around the US. The company also makes sauces for 7-Eleven in the US and Canada.

Last year it notched up profits of $5.7m (£3.6m) from total sales of $65m (£40.9m).

“The acquisition of Marketfare represents an excellent opportunity for us to further develop our food to go business in the US, building on the successful acquisition of On a Roll in December 2010,” said Greencore chief executive Patrick Coveney.

“It builds additional scale with 7-Eleven, provides new competencies for us in the fast-growing food-to-go category and extends our geographic footprint principally along the Eastern seaboard.”