Former Alliance Smithfield site in Timaru sold

Friday, 23 May 2025

The site of one of Timaru’s longest-running businesses has sold, five months after it closed its doors for good.

On Friday, Alliance Group confirmed the sale of its former Smithfield meat processing plant site.

A release from the company said the 32-hectare site was purchased for development with the agreement unconditional. Both the purchase price and the purchaser were confidential.

Alliance chief executive Willie Wiese said there had been significant interest in the site.

“Smithfield has been a well-known part of the Timaru landscape for nearly 140 years,’’ he said.

“While this marks the end of an era, we’re pleased to have concluded the sale and to enable new investment in the site.”

Alliance announced the closure of the Smithfield plant in October 2024 following a consultation period with staff, and it officially closed in December.

The plant processed sheep meat, calves and venison and had been part of Alliance’s operations since 1989.

Alliance Group continued to operate six processing plants across the country.