Italian firm Ferrero set to buy British maker of Jammie Dodgers and Wagon Wheels

ITALIAN firm Ferrero is to buy the British maker of Jammie Dodgers and Wagon Wheels.

The food giant, is paying an undisclosed sum for ­Burton’s Biscuits, with 2,000 staff in the UK.

Ferrero, which makes Nutella, has agreed terms with current owners, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board.

It will take control of Burton’s three production sites in Scotland as well as the two in England and one in Wales

Burton’s chief executive Nick Field said he was confident the combined businesses would complement one another in an “exciting future”.

He said: “We are delighted to be joining the Ferrero-related company.

“We look forward to bringing together the businesses’ complementary brand portfolios, high-quality capabilities, management talents and highly skilled workforces, which offer a compelling strategic rationale and an exciting future for Burton’s.”

Recent Ferrero acquisitions include Thorntons chocolates, Essex cereal bar maker Eat Natural and Fox’s Biscuits.

The biscuit maker generated more than £275 million in sales over the past 12 months.