120 of 165 Cadbury Staff Leave Since Kraft Takeover

Of the 165 senior staff at Cadbury whose jobs were under consultation at Bournville and Uxbridge, 120 had left the company. Since the controversial takeover of Cadbury by Kraft Foods earlier this year, the company has been marked by several high profile resignations, including Mark Reckitt, Cadbury’s Chief Strategy Officer, and Global Brand Director, Lee Rolston’s move to Muller.

John Bradley, a former Cadbury worker who used to run the Cadbury World attraction, was critical of Kraft’s approach to the takeover.

"Kraft seem not to care one iota about the history and tradition of Cadbury. They think they have just bought a series of brand names that they are going to integrate in their business just like they did Ritz Crackers and Toblerones and the other things that they bought,” Bradley said. "So, to my mind, they seem to not understand what they have bought."

Kraft was keen to point out that of the remaining 45 Cadbury employees out of the 165 who were under consultation, were all in permanent roles in the company. Kraft also stated that Cadbury executives had taken a third of the top 50 positions across the Kraft company.

"While this is a period of uncertainty for both Cadbury and Kraft Foods colleagues, we pride ourselves on being as sensitive and respectful as possible," a spokesman said.

Kraft CEO Irene Rosenfeld is planning to visit the Bournville plant for the first time later this year.

Read our article on how the Kraft takeover happened here.

Edited by Ellie Duncan