Carron Lodge acquires Singletons & Co

Carron Lodge has acquired fellow Lancashire cheesemaker Singletons & Co after the latter entered into administration in August.

The sale includes the trading premises as well as tangible assets and branding including the famous Grandma Singletons cheese. However, no jobs have been saved from the original business.

Carron Lodge, based in Inglewhite, has farmed and produced cheese for 30 years,  currently stocking more than 2,500 products for next-day delivery. The company placed 70th in Lancashire Business View's Hot 100 list of most profitable SMEs in 2022.

Longridge-based Singletons & Co was a family-run business which had been operating for more than 80 years and could trace its cheesemaking roots in the county back more than three centuries.

Most recently, the business was run by Tilly Carefoot, a fourth-generation member of the Singleton family, and the company had been supplying produce to both retail and wholesale, as well as exporting to more than 30 countries worldwide. 

Singletons & Co had employed a workforce of more than 80 last summer. In August 2022, the company went into administration and Kroll’s Andrew Knowles and Steven Muncaster were appointed as joint administrators.

Andrew Knowles, senior director at Kroll said: “Singleton’s and many of its brands have a well-established reputation for quality products both locally and abroad. With the completion of this deal, we’re pleased that this long-standing tradition will continue into the future.”

The deal was supported by Taylors Solicitors and Sanderson Weatherall, who provided legal and property advisory.