A Lancashire-based food factory which employs 300 people has been bought out by a rival.
The Schwan's Consumer Brand Factory, at Marathon Place in Moss Side, Leyland, which manufactures frozen pizzas, is one of several of the firm's businesses which was taken over by frozen pizza giants Dr Oetker UK on Wednesday.
The plant, along with Schwan's businesses in 15 European countries, the Chicago Town trademark and licences for the Freschetta and Tony's trademarks, were taken over after Schwan's, which is based in the USA, said it was planning to focus more on its North American operations.
A spokesman for Dr Oetker said it would be "business as usual" for employees at the Leyland plant and the firm will continue production of frozen pizzas at the plant.
The spokesman added: "We will be working very closely with Schwan's to ensure there is minimum disruption."
She said no announcement had been made on any review of the plant by its new owners.
The company would also not reveal how much the takeover was worth.
The Schwan's pizza plant has been in operation in Leyland since 1989. It will now become part of the UK division of Dr Oetker which was founded in 1970 and is one of Europe's largest frozen pizza manufacturers.
Peter Franks, UK managing director frozen and chilled at Dr Oetker, said: "Dr Oetker is the biggest manufacturer of pizza in Europe and the addition of the Schwan's portfolio is complementary to our current range of pizzas.
"We feel that the acquisition creates a complete frozen pizza business, giving us presence in all sectors of the UK's frozen pizza market and providing us with a UK production base."
The UK frozen pizza market is worth £364.8 million, growing at a rate of 7.7% every year. Dr Oetker's flagship brand Pizza Ristorante is growing at 13% year on year. The firm's brands are worth £130m.
The pizza plant which Schwan's built in Osterweddingen near Magdeburg, Germany, in 1998 is to be acquired by Freiberger Group who has finalized a supply agreement with Dr Oetker to manufacture branded pizza products to sell across Europe.
Last year Leyland was renamed Chicago Town for a day to recognise its role as a centre for frozen pizza making.
In September this year bosses at the Schwan's plant said the production of a new Chicago Town pizza, called Edge to Edge, would safeguard jobs there.
