Former CEO Rescues GrowUp Farms In Pre-Pack Administration Deal

Britain’s largest vertical farming operator, GrowUp Farms Limited, has been bought out of

administration through a pre-packaged sale arranged by its former chief executive,

sources including The Grocer have reported.

The parent company, GrowUp Group Ltd, entered administration on 16 December after

appointing insolvency specialists Interpath to find a way forward for the business amid

mounting financial pressures.

Marcus Whately, who led the business for six years until late 2024, acquired the core

operational unit — including its flagship vertical farm in Sandwich, Kent — with backing

from private equity investor Sun Capital Partners. The deal secures continued operations at

the Kent facility and safeguards 83 existing jobs tied directly to farm activities.

The restructuring follows an extended period of heavy investment in controlled

environment agriculture (CEA), with the group having raised roughly £140 million,

predominantly from US investor Generate Capital, including a £38 million round in mid-

2024. Despite this capital, losses escalated sharply, with pre-tax deficits exceeding £22

million on revenues under £3 million in the year to the end of December 2024.

As part of the administration process, around 30 employees at the group level were made

redundant, with a further 12 transferring to the new ownership. Senior managers, including

the incoming CEO appointed in 2024 and the UK managing director, have left as part of the

transition.

GrowUp Farms, founded in 2013 and recognised as an early UK supplier of year-round

bagged salad to major supermarkets, will continue to supply produce to the retail sector

under the new structure.

The pre-pack agreement underlines ongoing turbulence within the CEA sector, which has

seen several high-profile collapses internationally.

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