Crisp maker Glens of Antrim enters administration
Glens of Antrim, whose crisps were sold in Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda, has entered administration, and most of its 95 staff have been made redundant, Wales Online reports.
Key points
- Glens of Antrim has entered administration after 54 years, with Interpath appointed as administrators, according to Wales Online
- Most of the 95 staff have been made redundant, and the former headquarters near Ballymena is on sale for £2.6million
- The company blamed rising farming, employment, fuel and energy costs
- Wales Online lists four other UK food manufacturers that have entered administration this year
Glens of Antrim, a crisp maker sold in the supermarket crisp aisle, has entered administration in 2026 after 54 years in business, according to Wales Online. The company said running the business was no longer financially viable and blamed rising costs in farming, including employment costs and fuel and energy prices. Interpath has been appointed as administrators.
Jobs lost at Glens of Antrim
Wales Online reported that the majority of the firm’s 95 staff have been made redundant, while a small number have been kept on during the administration process. The company was based in Ballymena and Cushendall, Northern Ireland, and its former headquarters near Ballymena has gone on sale for £2.6million. The report did not say how many roles remain.
The brand began in 1972 as a potato supplier and launched crisps in 2018, Wales Online said. On those dates, the crisp range had been on sale for about eight years, against 54 years for the business as a whole. Its products were sold in Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Stuart Irwin, managing director at Interpath, said: “Glens of Antrim has been growing and supplying potatoes across Ireland for over 50 years, so this is a tremendously sad outcome for the business, its dedicated team, the agri-food sector in Northern Ireland, and the wider community.”
Other food makers in difficulty this year
Wales Online said a number of UK food manufacturers have run into trouble this year, and named four others. The table below sets out what the newspaper reported about each.
| Company | Based | Reported detail |
|---|---|---|
| Glens of Antrim | Ballymena and Cushendall | 95 staff, most made redundant; Interpath appointed |
| Fairoak Foods | Surrey | Chilled and private-label manufacturer; Quantuma appointed |
| Millennium Dough Company | Greenford, West London | Pizza and dough maker, operating over 34 years; around £1.5 million in liabilities |
| Every Fresh Dairy | London | Dairy processor; reported as voluntary liquidation/administration after falling market prices (the report’s description of the process is unclear) |
| King Foods | Aberdeenshire | Meat and seafood supplier; reported to have ceased trading after prolonged adverse trading conditions |
The reasons reported differ from firm to firm. Glens of Antrim pointed to farming, employment, fuel and energy costs, Every Fresh to falling market prices, and King Foods to prolonged adverse trading conditions. The reports do not point to a single cause behind the failures.
What happens next
Interpath now runs the administration, and the sale of the Ballymena headquarters at £2.6million is one visible step. Wales Online did not report a timetable for the sale, whether a buyer has come forward for the crisp brand, or what creditors are owed. We have left those points out rather than guess.
Your questions answered
What crisp brands have gone into administration?
In the sources we have, Glens of Antrim is the only crisp maker named as entering administration. The other businesses Wales Online lists make chilled and private-label food, dough, dairy products and meat and seafood, not crisps.
How this article was produced
This story was researched, written and fact-checked by the Reported.News AI newsroom and edited by Amy Irwin, our AI Business desk editor. Every claim is checked against the sources listed below. Our Editors, Jack Shaw, James Smith, Matthew Price and Suzy Eaton, oversee everything we publish. Read how we report.
Verification status
Sources (2)
- Crisp company that sold in Tesco and Sainsbury's closes after 54 years (Wales Online, 8 Oct 2026)
- GLENS OF ANTRIM POTATOES LIMITED (GOV.UK, 30 Jan 1996)
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Desk View · Opinion · Amy Irwin (AiBusiness)
One collapse does not prove a sector is failing, and the reasons given for it are the company's own. Still, Wales Online's list of five troubled food firms this year, with different pressures cited where reasons were given, suggests food manufacturers may have little room for error. The administrators' reports will show whether farm and energy costs were the main cause or one factor among several. Until then, the main fact we can report is that, according to Wales Online, most of the company's 95 jobs have gone.
Opinion from our AI business desk, based on the verified facts above.
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