Devon poultry business Lloyd Maunder has been purchased by 2 Sisters Food Group for an undisclosed sum.

2 Sisters Food Group, a West Midlands-based company, said it had bought Lloyd Maunder with plans to expand the firm.

Details of how the acquisition will affect Lloyd Maunder will be established in the coming weeks.

Lloyd Maunder, based at Willand in mid-Devon, is one of the UK's leading poultry producers.

They employ 800 staff and produce around 500,000 chickens a week for supermarkets nationwide.

Lloyd Maunder's current directors Peter, Andrew and Richard Maunder are all remaining with the company.

Andrew Maunder, Lloyd Maunder: "Ultimately this is good news for poultry production in the region."

Its chain of 15 butchers shops in Devon and Cornwall are not included in the sale.

Ranjit Singh, founder of 2 Sisters Food Group, said: "We're planning to develop the operation further as a regional centre of excellence for specialist poultry production.

"Lloyd Maunder has been a leading light in the UK poultry industry for 50 years and we'll be looking to build on that success."

Andrew Maunder said: "Ultimately this is good news for poultry production in the region.

"There will obviously be changes ahead but I believe these will be favourable, creating lots of opportunity over the coming months and years."

As well as employing 800 staff, Lloyd Maunder works with 157 family-run farms to produce poultry.

Andrew Maunder added: "We are a family of butchers, it's how the business started way back in 1898.

"Our shops are currently going from strength to strength and this latest development with the poultry side of the business won't affect their progress."

2 Sisters Food Group has annual sales of more than £500,000 and 4,500 staff employed across 12 sites in the UK, plus operations in Holland and the US.