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Premier Foods

 
Hoover's Profile: Premier Foods plc
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(London:PFD)
Contact Information
Premier Foods plc
Premier House, Griffiths Way
St. Albans AL1 2RE, United Kingdom
Tel. +44-1727-815-850
Fax +44-1727-815-979

Type: Public
On the web: http://www.premierfoods.co.uk

For the perfect picnic, you may want to pick up some provisions from the pantry of Premier Foods. The food manufacturing company makes bread, spreads, pickles, vinegars, sauces, beverage mixes, and snack foods, as well as bulk condiments. Its big brand names include Ambrosia and Bird's custards, Mr Kipling cakes, Branston baked beans, Hartley jellies, Hovis bread, Loyd Grossman sauces, and Sun-Pat peanut butter. Premier's offerings are available at food retailers and foodservice providers throughout the UK. It has become a lead player in the UK food sector in recent years, with the acquisition of RHM and Campbell Soup's UK operations.

Key numbers for fiscal year ending December, 2008:
Sales: $3,768.2M
One year growth: (11.2%)
Net income: ($642.3)M

Officers:
Chairman: David J. Kappler
CEO and Board Member: Robert Schofield
Group Operations Director: Bob Spooner

Competitors:
Associated British Foods
Nestlé UK ltd
United Biscuits

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Wikipedia: Premier Foods
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Premier Foods plc
Type Public
(LSE: PFD)
Founded 1975
Headquarters St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England
Key people David Kappler, (Chairman)
Robert Schofield, (CEO)
Industry Food Manufacturing
Products Foods
Revenue £2,603.6 million (2008)
Operating income £(40.5) million (2008)
Net income £(443.8) million (2008)
Employees 17,937 (2007)
Website www.premierfoods.co.uk

Premier Foods plc (LSE: PFD) is a British-based food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

Contents

History

The company was founded by Harry Solomon and David Thompson in 1975 as Hillsdown Holdings. The name came from Thompson's house - Hillsdown. In 1981 it acquired Lockwood Foods, a canned foods business.[1]

In 1986, it bought various food businesses from Beechams[1] and in 1990 it acquired Premier Brands which included Typhoo and Cadbury's drinks.[1]

It was bought by the private equity company Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst in 1999.[2] In 2002, it bought Nestlé's ambient foods business.[3] It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2004.[4]

In February 2005, Premier Foods acquired from Kraft Foods their ambient desserts businesses including Bird's custard and Angel Delight.[5]

In June 2005, Marlow Foods,[6] makers of Quorn, was purchased and this was followed in October by the acquisition of Cauldron, consolidating the two leading brands in the meat-free category.[7]

In October 2005, Premier Foods announced that it was selling Typhoo Tea to India's Apeejay Surrendra Group for $140 million.[8]

In October 2005, Premier Foods launched Branston Baked Beans. The marketing and promotion of this product was aimed squarely at challenging Heinz's dominance of the UK baked bean market. This marketing included an advert, featuring a Branston Bean Tin explaining how Branston Beans are very "saucy." Heinz was subsequently obliged to re-evaluate its advertising strategy in the face of this aggressive activity.[9]

Branston Beans Advert

In 2006, Premier Foods acquired the UK and Ireland businesses of Campbell's for £460 million. Brands included in the deal were Oxo, Batchelors, Homepride and Fray Bentos. The iconic Campbell's Soup cans had be rebranded as Batchelors Condensed Soup (as the brand itself was not acquired) but labels still carried the label "Formerly Campbell's. Same great taste."[10] Similarly, Campbell's Meatballs were rebranded as Fray Bentos.[11] Subsequently the closure, in December 2007, of the King's Lynn depot where Fray Bentos pies are made, was announced.[12]

In March 2007, Premier Foods completed the takeover of its rival RHM for £1.2 billion.[13] In July 2007 Premier foods announced it was to close the following RHM sites: Bristol, Droylsden (makers of Robertson's Golden Shred since 1890 and Sharwood's brands), Middlewich (makers of Bisto and Salts), Wythenshawe (makers of Sharwood's Pappadoms and Paxo), Ledbury (makers of specialist jams) and Reading (Foodservices).[14]

Operations

Premier Foods' largest brands include:

Competitors

Key Competitors are: Unilever, Associated British Foods, Northern Foods, Greencore, Interlink and Warburton's.

References

  1. ^ a b c Premier Foods: History
  2. ^ Hicks Muse buying a British food company
  3. ^ Hicks Muse builds Premier Foods with Nestle brands buy
  4. ^ Premier Foods initiated with 'hold'
  5. ^ Premier gobbles up Bird's custard
  6. ^ Premier buys Quorn Firm for £172m
  7. ^ Premier buys Cauldron Foods for £27m
  8. ^ Typhoo Tea bought by Indian Firm
  9. ^ Heinz to change baked beans recipe as it faces Branston challenge
  10. ^ UK shops to lose famous soup can
  11. ^ Campbells Grocery Products Production Line Enhancements, Worksop, United Kingdom
  12. ^ "Premier Foods to close two factories with loss of 450 jobs". The Independent. 2007. http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2169272.ece. Retrieved January 20, 2007. 
  13. ^ Premier Foods pays $2.4bn for RHM
  14. ^ Premier Foods to close six factories

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
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