TWO of the country's most successful frozen food companies, Ardo Shearway Ltd and Ryan Foods Ltd, have formally merged.

The new company, called Ardo UK Limited, is based at Ardo Shearway's headquarters in Charing.

Stephen Waugh, formerly managing director of Ardo Shearway Ltd, will head Ardo UK Limited and Roger Glasspool, formerly managing director of Ryan Foods Ltd, will be responsible for all industrial Sales within the new business.

Ardo Shearway and Ryan Foods are both part of the giant Ardo Group, Europe's largest supplier of frozen produce, which has 12 factories across eight countries, processing and packing nearly 400,000 tonnes a year.

This merger links Ardo Shearway's expertise in the retail and food service sectors with Ryan Food's specialism in the industrial sector, and benefits from the financial security and support of the Ardo Group.

"This move unites two companies whose skills and customer base perfectly complement each other and together we will be even stronger", said Mr Waugh. "The merger will be seamless, and customers will continue to deal with the same people as before.

"Substantial investment in the new company is planned, including the expansion of the current site, which in turn will lead to even more jobs for the area."

The merger will give customers a wider choice of services and an increased focus on manufacturing is planned.

"Ryan Food's expertise in the manufacturing sector and the fact that we are part of the largest and most successful frozen food company in Europe will give us a wider skills base and a very competitive edge" added Stephen Waugh.

"Each company is bringing something to the business which will benefit customers -- the key strength is that manufacturing clients will now benefit from Ardo UK's technical and product development culture.

"The merger will bring an equally strong three-way focus between manufacturing, retail and food service."

A range of new products will be launched to celebrate the merger, the first of which is a frozen fruit convenience snack, details of which are about to be released.