Cadbury crusade: Save our chocolate

A GROUNDSWELL of public anger at the American takeover of Cadbury which could cost thousands of British jobs last night prompted calls for the iconic chocolate-maker to be saved.

CADBURY A protester expresses his views outside the Bournville factory CADBURY: A protester expresses his views outside the Bournville factory

Food giant Kraft warned that job losses at Cadburys west London office were “inevitable” in the wake of its aggressive £11.9billion bid.

And critics fear more cutbacks for the company’s 5,600 workers across the UK and Ireland.

EXPRESS FEATURES: CADBURY: DEATH OF A GREAT BRITISH BRAND

Cadbury’s board is urging the firm’s shareholders to accept Kraft Food’s best and final offer for the brand but furious protesters yesterday placed a sign outside the flagship Bournville factory saying: “Save our jobs. United we stand. No surrender.”

VOTE IN OUR ONLINE POLL: SHOULD CADBURY REMAIN BRITISH?

Another sign outside Cadbury’s offices in Birmingham read: “Hey Kraft. Go to Hell”.

Felicity Loudon, great-great-granddaughter of the firm’s Quaker founder John Cadbury, described Kraft’s takeover as a “horror story”.

She said: “I am just not going to give up and I just so hope that other people will join me and just fight this. It is awful.

“My grandfather and great grandfather and great, great grandfather would all be turning in their graves. The idea that Cadbury could be anything but British would be just a horror story to them.”

DEBATE: SHOULD CADBURY REMAIN BRITISH?

Kraft launched its hostile bid for Cadbury in early September and its initial approach was flatly rejected by the UK-based firm.

But its last offer has been backed by the Cadbury board which means the final decision now rests with shareholders who have until early next month to accept the deal, which will give them 840p per share plus a 10p per share dividend.

It is the latest in a long line of historic British companies to be sold off to overseas buyers. Car brands Mini and Rolls-Royce, confectionery firm Rowntree and even HP Sauce are all now foreign-owned.

David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said the sale raised important questions about the future of British manufacturing. “Do we simply want to be a place where companies can locate and just assemble products while the real development and intellectual capital that goes in is done elsewhere?” he asked.

“Do we simply want to sell every UK brand to the highest bidder or do we see certain parts of it as being very fundamental to the future and for the future growth of the UK?”

Jennie Formby, the Unite union’s food sector national officer, described the Cadbury board’s decision to end nearly 200 years of independent ownership as a “very sad day” for UK manufacturing. She said: “A successful, iconic, independent UK brand will now be owned by a giant company with massive debt.

SDLq Whatever good intentions Kraft may have towards Cadbury’s workforce, the sad truth is there will be an irresistible imperative to pay down their debt, and this raises real fears for jobs and investment in this country.”

A group of four MPs from the Birmingham area issued a joint statement criticising the sale. “We think a takeover by Kraft could pose real dangers for jobs, innovation and the skill base in the West Midlands,” they said.

Irene Rosenfeld, chief executive of Kraft whose food brands include Toblerone, Dairylea and Terry’s Chocolate Orange, defended the takeover. She said: “We have great respect for Cadbury’s brands, heritage and people. We believe they will thrive as part of Kraft Foods.”

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