Jacobs Biscuit Factory is sold for £2bn.....

Jacobs biscuit factory in Long Lane, Aintree

Turkey-based foods conglomerate Alka fended off competition from a shortlist of would-be buyers that included cereal maker Kellogg's and Burton's

Aintree's Jacobs Cream Cracker factory has changed hands after its private equity owners sold it to a Turkey-based foods conglomerate.

The factory, which employs 900 people, will now be run by Alka, which makes a range of biscuits, cakes and baby foods. Alka's parent company Yildiz Holdings is reported to have paid £2bn for the business. The Aintree factory, which has been in Liverpool for just over a century, is part of the United Biscuits' empire that, as well as Jacobs, includes brands such as McVities Jaffa Cakes and Penguin. The deal brings an end to a prolonged period of uncertainty for the Merseyside factory and its workers. Rumours about a possible sale have been circulating for a year. The Turkish buyer has fended off competition from a small shortlist of would-be buyers that included cereal maker Kellogg's and Burton's. Private equity firms Blackstone and PAI have owned United Biscuits since they paid £1.6bn for it in 2006. Other popular brand names owned by United Biscuits include Go Ahead!, Twiglets, Mini Cheddars and Carr's in the UK, and BN, Delacre, Verkade and Sultana in continental Europe. The company owns and operates 16 manufacturing facilities of which seven are in the UK. Lionel Assant, European head of private equity at Blackstone, said: "United Biscuits is a great business and has been an excellent investment for us. Yildiz is the best home for the company and will allow UB to fulfil its international growth ambitions. "I would like to thank United Biscuits' management team for the way in which they have led the company and wish UB well under new ownership."