Wirral Council Leader statement following Typhoo announcement

Wirral Council has received notification that Typhoo Tea Limited, based in Moreton, will be ceasing its blending and manufacturing operations in the borough from June 2023.

Typhoo says it will outsource its production, most likely to be overseas, as there is little production capacity in the UK tea sector. The aim at this stage is to save and retain the Typhoo business and brand. A small team of 20 will be retained and they will manage the sales, marketing and supply chain.

Leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Janette Williamson, said: “My heart goes out to all those who work at Typhoo. This is devastating news for all the people there and I want them to know Wirral Council will do whatever it can to help support them through the redundancy process and finding new employment.

“The council has worked closely with Typhoo’s owners to offer as much support as possible to try and avoid this outcome but it is now clear that despite everyone’s best efforts this was not possible.

“The local authority will continue to work with Typhoo and look for ways to help this world famous brand find a way to stay in Wirral.”

Typhoo was acquired from Apeejay Surrendra Group by Zetland Capital, a private equity firm, in 2021 with an ambition to get the business to profit. Despite a programme of investment in upgrades, and a large-scale restructure, this ambition could not be realised.

Through this period the council and stakeholders have worked to support Typhoo and coordinated assistance relating to workforce skills and redundancy support, process and production improvement, new site identification, liaison with prospective developers and investors, and supporting funding applications for new machinery. Typhoo have been clear that there is no more that the public sector can do to support the company and retention of its staff.

Wirral Council officers will continue to work with Typhoo with regard to the future of the Moreton factory site and supporting those workers affected by the redundancies.