Popular Black Country pork scratchings firm gives major update on reopening after devastating factory fire

A popular Black Country pork scratchings manufacturer has revealed when it hopes to restart production after a devastating fire destroyed its factory.

G Simmons & Sons Pork Scratchings, based in Bloxwich, has announced that work on its new cooking factory is almost complete, with plans to resume production at the beginning of January 2027.

The family-run business had initially hoped to be back up and running before Christmas, but has decided to delay its restart to allow more time to prepare.

The firm, which has been producing pork scratchings for more than 40 years, has also revealed plans to reopen its factory shop during January.

In an update shared on social media, the company said: "We're delighted to say that our new cooking factory is now almost complete and looking absolutely fantastic!

"After everything we've been through, it's amazing to see it all coming together, and we genuinely can't wait to get back to doing what we do best!"

The company said it was still hopeful of having its new facilities ready towards the end of November, but wanted to ensure everything was running smoothly before restarting production.

It added: "Whilst we're still on track to hopefully be ready towards the end of November, we've made the decision to aim for a full restart at the beginning of January instead.

"This will give us time to get everything running smoothly, retrain our staff and build up some stock before we start fulfilling orders again.

"We'd much rather take a little extra time to get everything right than rush things through before Christmas."

The update comes after a major fire ripped through the company's factory on Newfield Close in December 2025.

At the height of the blaze, 13 fire engines and two hydraulic aerial platforms were called to the scene, with crews from across the West Midlands working through the night to bring the fire under control.

No injuries were reported, but the blaze caused extensive damage to the premises, dealing a major blow to one of the region's best-known pork scratchings manufacturers.

The business has now shared photographs showing progress on its replacement cooking facilities, including a new built-in freezer, chopping room and boot wash room.

Work is also continuing on the boiler room, where all 40 boilers are being installed and prepared for production.

Meanwhile, the original factory site has been demolished following the fire, with the company now drawing up plans to build a new purpose-built packing factory on the land.

The firm said: "So although we're getting close to restarting production, there's still another exciting chapter of the rebuild ahead of us!"

G Simmons & Sons began life in the butcher's shop of Graham Simmons in the 1970s, before his sons Shaun and Mark joined the business during the 1980s.

As demand for pork scratchings grew, the family moved production to a purpose-built factory in Bloxwich in 1994.

The company has since become a well-known name across the West Midlands and beyond, producing traditional pork scratchings, crackling and crunch using small-batch cooking methods.

Although customers will have to wait until the new year to get their hands on the firm's products again, the company said it was increasingly confident about its reopening plans.

It hopes to confirm dates for both its production restart and factory shop reopening within the next month.

The firm added: "We know many of you were hoping to have your favourite Scratchings, Crackling & Crunch back in time for Christmas, and we're sorry we won't quite make it.

"Believe us, nobody wants to get those cookers fired up again more than we do!

"Thank you all so much for your continued patience, support and encouragement throughout this journey. It really does mean the world to us.

"We're nearly there now, and we can't wait to welcome you all back in 2027!"