Premier Foods
Encyclopedia
Premier Foods plc is a British
food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans
, Hertfordshire
. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange
and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index
.
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.
In 1986, it bought various food businesses from Beechams
and in 1990 it acquired Premier Brands which included Typhoo
and Cadbury's drinks.
It was bought by the private equity company Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst in 1999. In 2002, it bought Nestlé
's ambient foods business. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange
in 2004.
In February 2005, Premier Foods acquired from Kraft Foods
their ambient desserts businesses including Bird's custard and Angel Delight.
In June 2005, Marlow Foods, 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.
In October 2005, Premier Foods announced that it was selling Typhoo
Tea to India's Apeejay Surrendra Group for $140 million. In March 2011 Premier Foods sold its meat-free business, Marlow Foods, to Exponent Private Equity for £205m ($331.6m). Marlow Foods manufactures and sells products under the Quorn and Cauldron brands. The sale has resulted in the creation of a new company, Quorn Foods.
Premier Foods said the deal was part of a strategy to reduce its debt, which built up following an acquisition spree that included Hovis-owner RHM and Campbell's Soup in the UK and Ireland
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.
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 to 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." Similarly, Campbell's Meatballs were rebranded as Fray Bentos.
Subsequently the closure, in December 2007, of the King's Lynn
depot where Fray Bentos pies are made, was announced.
In March 2007, Premier Foods completed the takeover of its rival RHM
for £1.2 billion. 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).
, Associated British Foods
, Northern Foods
, Greencore
, Interlink and Warburtons
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index
FTSE 250 Index
The FTSE 250 Index is a capitalisation-weighted index consisting of the 101st to the 350th largest companies on the London Stock Exchange. Promotions to and demotions from the index take place quarterly in March, June, September and December...
.
History
The company was founded by Harry SolomonHarry Solomon (businessman)
Sir Harry Solomon is the founder of Hillsdown Holdings, one of the United Kingdom's largest food businesses.-Career:Educated at St Albans School in Hertfordshire, Harry Solomon qualified as a solicitor in 1960 and went on to practise law...
and David Thompson
David Thompson (entrepreneur)
David Thompson is the co-founder of Hillsdown Holdings, one of the United Kingdom's largest food businesses.-Career:Having initially worked as a meat trader at Smithfield Market David Thompson helped his father to float his meat wholesaling business in 1966...
in 1975 as Hillsdown Holdings. The name came from Thompson's house - Hillsdown. In 1981 it acquired Lockwood Foods, a canned foods business.
In 1986, it bought various food businesses from Beechams
Beecham (pharmaceutical company)
Beecham was a British pharmaceutical company. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Beecham, after having merged with SmithKline Beckman, merged with GlaxoWellcome to become GlaxoSmithKline .-History:...
and in 1990 it acquired Premier Brands which included Typhoo
Typhoo
Typhoo is a brand of tea in the United Kingdom. It was launched in 1903 by John Sumner Jr. of Birmingham, England.-History:In 1863, William Sumner published, A Popular Treatise on Tea as a by-product of the first trade missions to China from London....
and Cadbury's drinks.
It was bought by the private equity company Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst in 1999. In 2002, it bought Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
's ambient foods business. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
in 2004.
In February 2005, Premier Foods acquired from Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
their ambient desserts businesses including Bird's custard and Angel Delight.
In June 2005, Marlow Foods, makers of Quorn
Quorn
Quorn is the leading brand of mycoprotein food product in the UK and Ireland. The mycoprotein used to produce Quorn is extracted from a fungus, Fusarium venenatum, which is grown in large vats....
, was purchased and this was followed in October by the acquisition of Cauldron, consolidating the two leading brands in the meat-free category.
In October 2005, Premier Foods announced that it was selling Typhoo
Typhoo
Typhoo is a brand of tea in the United Kingdom. It was launched in 1903 by John Sumner Jr. of Birmingham, England.-History:In 1863, William Sumner published, A Popular Treatise on Tea as a by-product of the first trade missions to China from London....
Tea to India's Apeejay Surrendra Group for $140 million. In March 2011 Premier Foods sold its meat-free business, Marlow Foods, to Exponent Private Equity for £205m ($331.6m). Marlow Foods manufactures and sells products under the Quorn and Cauldron brands. The sale has resulted in the creation of a new company, Quorn Foods.
Premier Foods said the deal was part of a strategy to reduce its debt, which built up following an acquisition spree that included Hovis-owner RHM and Campbell's Soup in the UK and Ireland
In October 2005, Premier Foods launched Branston Baked Beans. The marketing and promotion of this product was aimed squarely at challenging Heinz
H. J. Heinz Company
The H. J. Heinz Company , commonly known as Heinz and famous for its "57 Varieties" slogan and its ketchup, is an American food company with world headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Perhaps best known for its ketchup, the H.J...
'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.
Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company , also known as Campbell's, is an American producer of canned soups and related products. Campbell's products are sold in 120 countries around the world. It is headquartered in Camden, New Jersey...
for £460 million. Brands included in the deal were Oxo
Oxo (food)
Oxo is a range of food products, consisting of stock cubes, herbs and spices, dried gravy, and yeast extract. In the United Kingdom, Oxo products are manufactured by Premier Foods...
, Batchelors
Batchelors
For unrelated subjects with similar spelling see Bachelor.Batchelors is a brand of predominantly dried food products. It was formerly a Company founded in 1895 in Sheffield, England. The company now makes instant soup, in particular Cup A Soup and noodle products such as Super Noodles. The company...
, Homepride and Fray Bentos. The iconic Campbell's Soup cans had to 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." Similarly, Campbell's Meatballs were rebranded as Fray Bentos.
Subsequently the closure, in December 2007, of the King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
depot where Fray Bentos pies are made, was announced.
In March 2007, Premier Foods completed the takeover of its rival RHM
RHM
RHM plc, formerly Rank Hovis McDougall, was a United Kingdom food business. The company owned numerous brands, particularly for flour, where its core business started, and for consumer food products...
for £1.2 billion. In July 2007 Premier foods announced it was to close the following RHM
RHM
RHM plc, formerly Rank Hovis McDougall, was a United Kingdom food business. The company owned numerous brands, particularly for flour, where its core business started, and for consumer food products...
sites: Bristol, Droylsden (makers of Robertson's Golden Shred since 1890 and Sharwood's brands), Middlewich (makers of Bisto
Bisto
Bisto is a well-known brand of traditional British foods in the United Kingdom, most famous for its gravy products.-History:The very first Bisto product, in 1908, was a meat-flavoured gravy powder, which rapidly became a bestseller in the UK. It was added to gravies to give a richer taste and aroma...
and Salts), Wythenshawe (makers of Sharwood's Pappadoms and Paxo
Paxo
Paxo is a well-known brand of stuffing in the United Kingdom, currently owned by Premier Foods.Paxo was devised in 1901 by John Crampton, a butcher from Eccles near Manchester, who wanted to have something extra to sell to his customers shopping for their Sunday lunch menus.In the beginning sales...
), Ledbury (makers of specialist jams) and Reading (Foodservices).
Operations
Premier Foods' largest brands include:- AmbrosiaAmbrosia (food)Ambrosia is a well known brand in the United Kingdom. Its original product was a dried milk powder for infants, but it is most famous for its custard and rice pudding...
custards and rice pudding - Angel DelightAngel DelightAngel Delight is a powdered dessert product produced in the United Kingdom. It is designed to be mixed and whisked with milk to create a mousse-like sweet dessert....
desserts - AtoraAtoraAtora is a British brand of shredded suet, which is clarified beef fat, primarily used in the production of pastry and dumplings.-History:Suet had one of its first mentions in a recipe of 1617 as a key ingredient for 'Cambridge pudding' served to students at that university...
shredded suet - BatchelorsBatchelorsFor unrelated subjects with similar spelling see Bachelor.Batchelors is a brand of predominantly dried food products. It was formerly a Company founded in 1895 in Sheffield, England. The company now makes instant soup, in particular Cup A Soup and noodle products such as Super Noodles. The company...
- dehydrated foods, Super NoodlesSuper NoodlesSuper Noodles are a dehydrated instant noodle snack, made by Batchelors in the UK and sold under the McDonnells brand in the Republic of Ireland. They are prepared by being placed in a saucepan of boiling water, adding the sachet of flavouring, and stirring...
and condensed soup - Be-RoBe-Ro-History:The Company was founded by Thomas Bell as a grocery and tea company in Longhorsley north of Newcastle in 1875. Thomas had experimented with rising agents on flour in baking and from that produced the world's first self-raising flour. He founded the Bells Royal works which sold the Bell's...
flour - BirdsBird's CustardBird's Custard is the original version of what is known generically as custard powder. It is a cornflour -based powder which thickens to form a custard-like sauce when mixed with milk and heated to a sufficient temperature...
custards and desserts - BistoBistoBisto is a well-known brand of traditional British foods in the United Kingdom, most famous for its gravy products.-History:The very first Bisto product, in 1908, was a meat-flavoured gravy powder, which rapidly became a bestseller in the UK. It was added to gravies to give a richer taste and aroma...
gravy - Branston pickles, beans and savoury food
- Cadbury's cakes and chocolate spread (manufactured under licence from Cadbury plc)
- Cauldron vegetarian ready meals
- CerebosCerebosCerebos is an English brand of salt and, more recently, other flavourings and nutritional supplements. Its promise was "See How It Runs", describing how fine the salt was...
salt - Chivers Preserves, jams, conserves, marmalade
- Crosse and Blackwell savoury foods
- Dufrais vinegars
- Elephant Atta chappatti flour
- Fassal ethnic flour
- Frank Cooper'sFrank Cooper'sFrank Cooper's is a UK brand of marmalades and jams owned by Premier Foods. Frank Cooper's is known primarily for its "Oxford" Marmalade and holds a Royal Warrant.-Oxford High Street:...
jams - Fray Bentos meat pies and meatballs
- Gale'sGale'sGale's is a UK brand of honey and lemon curd, marketed by Premier Foods.- History :The brand was first produced in 1919 in London. It had been started by Richard Westley Gale of Richmond and Sidney Thomas Rayner of Mortlake as Rayner & Gale which was a partnership. The partnership was dissolved on...
honey - Hartley'sHartley'sHartley's is a UK brand of marmalades, jams and jellies, manufactured at Histon, Cambridgeshire, by Premier Foods.- History :Hartley's was a grocers founded by Sir William Pickles Hartley near Pendle, Lancashire. In 1871 a supplier failed to deliver a consignment of jam, so William made his own and...
jams and marmalades - HaywardsHaywards (pickles)Haywards is a brand of pickles popular in the United Kingdom. The brand is currently owned by Premier Foods and the pickles are produced in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.- Varieties :*Haywards Mixed Pickles...
pickles - HomeprideHomeprideHomepride is a UK brand of pre-prepared cooking sauces, now owned by Premier Foods, which acquired the business in 2006 from the Campbell Soup Company...
cooking sauces - HovisHovisHovis is a UK brand of flour and bread, owned by Premier Foods. The brand, which began in 1886, ended up as part of Rank Hovis McDougall in 1962 after a succession of mergers. RHM, whose bread making division has been known as British Bakeries since 1955, also owns the Mother's Pride and Nimble...
bread and flour
- Loyd GrossmanLoyd GrossmanLoyd Daniel Gilman Grossman, OBE, FSA is an American-British television presenter, chef and musician who has mainly worked in the UK.- Early life, education and honours :...
cooking sauces - LyonsJ. Lyons and Co.J. Lyons & Co. was a market-dominant British restaurant-chain, food-manufacturing, and hotel conglomerate founded in 1887 as a spin-off from the Salmon & Gluckstein tobacco company....
cakes and baked goods - MarvelMarvel (food)Marvel is a United Kingdom brand of dried milk powder, now marketed by Premier Foods.- History, packaging and use :The product was launched in 1964 and is sold in foil-coated cardboard drums with the contents sealed under a tear off foil lid and in sachets....
milk powder - McDougalls flour and cake mixes
- Mother's PrideMother's PrideMother's Pride is a brand name for a variety of breads produced by British Bakeries, a division of Premier Foods. The company also bakes Nimble and Hovis branded loaves as well as supermarket 'own brand' ranges....
bread and baked goods - Mr KiplingMr KiplingMr Kipling is a brand of cakes, pies and baked goods widely marketed in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was introducedin 1967, at a time when cakes were more often bought from local bakers to sell cakes of a local baker's standard to supermarkets....
cakes - Nimble bread and baked goods
- OrmoOrmeau RoadThe Ormeau Road is a road in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. Ormeau Park is adjacent to it. It forms part of the A24.-History:Having previously been the home of George Chichester, 2nd Marquess of Donegall, a road was first built in 1815, when it was known more commonly as the New Ballynafeigh Road...
baked goods - OxoOxo (food)Oxo is a range of food products, consisting of stock cubes, herbs and spices, dried gravy, and yeast extract. In the United Kingdom, Oxo products are manufactured by Premier Foods...
stocks and gravies - PaxoPaxoPaxo is a well-known brand of stuffing in the United Kingdom, currently owned by Premier Foods.Paxo was devised in 1901 by John Crampton, a butcher from Eccles near Manchester, who wanted to have something extra to sell to his customers shopping for their Sunday lunch menus.In the beginning sales...
stuffing - QuornQuornQuorn is the leading brand of mycoprotein food product in the UK and Ireland. The mycoprotein used to produce Quorn is extracted from a fungus, Fusarium venenatum, which is grown in large vats....
vegetarian protein - Robertson'sRobertson'sRobertson's is a UK brand of marmalades and jams that was owned by RHM until that company's takeover by Premier Foods in March 2007. It produces the "Golden Shred" marmalade among other products....
jams and marmalades - Rose'sRose's lime juiceRose's lime juice, often known simply as Rose's, is a line of juice products first patented in 1867. The range includes both the original concentrated squash or cordial and also diluted drink mixers...
marmalades (under licence) - Rowat's pickles
- Sarson'sSarson'sSarson's is a brand of vinegar in the United Kingdom. It is sold in pear shaped bottles with a flip top and the brand is currently owned by Premier Foods.- History and uses :...
vinegar - SaxaSaxa (food product)Saxa is a brand of salt and pepper in the United Kingdom and Australia. It is currently owned by Premier Foods....
salt - Sharwood's Indian, Chinese and SE Asian sauces
- SmashSmash (instant mashed potato)Smash is a brand of instant mashed potato in the United Kingdom. The preparation of Smash is extremely simple - the granules are placed in a bowl and boiling water is added and stirred producing a mashed potato substitute....
instant mash potato - Sun-PatSun-PatSun-Pat is a brand of peanut butter in the United Kingdom. Even though American peanut butter had been sold in the UK since the 1930s, Sun-Pat was not launched until the 1960s, initially produced as a by-product of a nut-packing operation in Hadfield, Derbyshire...
peanut butter - Supreme salt
- Waistline salad dressings
Competitors
Key competitors are UnileverUnilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
, Associated British Foods
Associated British Foods
Associated British Foods plc is a global food, ingredients and retail company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its ingredients division is the world's second largest producer of both sugar and baker's yeast and a major producer of other ingredients including emulsifiers, enzymes and lactose...
, Northern Foods
Northern Foods
Northern Foods Ltd is a British food manufacturer headquartered in Leeds, England. It was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. The company was scheduled to merge with Greencore Group in 2011 to form Essenta Foods, the group being...
, Greencore
Greencore
Greencore Group plc is a food company in Ireland.It was established by the Irish Government in 1991 to take over Irish Sugar, the nationalised sugar production company. 55% of the group was listed on the Irish Stock Exchange that year, over the years additional placements have led to almost 100%...
, Interlink and Warburtons
Warburtons
Warburtons is a British baking firm based founded by Thomas Warburton in 1876 in Bolton, then in Lancashire, now in Greater Manchester, England. For much of its history Warburtons only had bakeries in Lancashire and it remains a family-owned company....
.