Premier Foods

Infobox_Company
company_name = Premier Foods plc
company_
company_type = Public
(lse|PFD)
company_slogan = Home of Britain's
Favourite Foods.
foundation = 1975
location = St. Albans, England, UK
key_people = David Kappler, (Chairman)
Robert Schofield, (CEO)
revenue = £2,247.6 million (2007)
operating_income=£76.1 million (2007)
net_income = £(63.3) million (2007)
num_employees = 17,937 (2007)
industry = Food Manufacturing
products = Foods
homepage = [http://www.premierfoods.co.uk/ www.premierfoods.co.uk]

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

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. [http://www.premierfoods.co.uk/about-us/our-history/Timeline.cfm Premier Foods: History] ]

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. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950CEFD8163EF936A25756C0A96F958260 Hicks Muse buying a British food company] ] In 2002 it bought Nestlé's ambient foods business. [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5555/is_/ai_n21940882 Hicks Muse builds Premier Foods with Nestle brands buy] ] It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2004. [ [http://www.newratings.com/en/main/company_headline.m?&id=446559 Premier Foods initiated with 'hold'] ]

In February 2005 Premier Foods acquired from Kraft Foods their ambient desserts businesses including Bird's custard and Angel Delight. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4081713.stm Premier gobbles up Bird's custard] ]

In June 2005 "Marlow Foods", [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4612609.stm Premier buys Quorn Firm for £172m] ] 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. [ [http://www.just-food.com/article.aspx?id=86282 Premier buys Cauldron Foods for £27m] ]

In October 2005 Premier Foods announced that it was selling Typhoo Tea to India's Apeejay Surrendra Group for $140 million. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4337140.stm Typhoo Tea bought by Indian Firm] ]

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. [ [http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/541984/heinz-change-baked-beans-recipe-faces-branston-challenge/ Heinz to change baked beans recipe as it faces Branston challenge] ]

In 2006 Premier Foods acquired Campbells' UK and Ireland businesses for £460 million. Brands included in the deal were Oxo, Batchelors, Homepride and Fray Bentos. The Cambells' 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"." [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7022598.stm UK shops to lose famous soup can] ] Subsequently the closure, in December 2007, of the King's Lynn depot where Fray Bentos pies are made, was announced.cite web| year = 2007 | url = http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2169272.ece | title = Premier Foods to close two factories with loss of 450 jobs | publisher = The Independent | accessdate = January 20| accessyear = 2007]

In March 2007 Premier Foods completed the takeover of its rival RHM for £1.2 billion. [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/04/business/food.php Premier Foods pays $2.4bn for RHM] ] 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). [ [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/premier-foods-to-close-six-factories-455684.html Premier Foods to close six factories] ]

Operations

Premier Foods' largest brands include:
* Ambrosia custards and rice pudding
* Angel Delight desserts
* Atora shredded suet
* Batchelors - Dehydrated foods & Super Noodles
* Be-Ro flour
* Birds custards and desserts
* Bisto gravy
* Branston pickles, beans and savoury food
* Cadbury's cakes and chocolate spread (manufactured under licence from Cadbury Schweppes
* Cauldron vegetarian ready meals
* Cerebos salt
* Chivers Preserves, jams, conserves, marmalade
* Crosse and Blackwell savoury foods
* Dufrais vinegars
* Elephant Atta chappatti flour
* Fassal ethnic flour
* Frank Cooper's jams
* Fray Bentos meat pies
* Gale's honey
* Hartley's jams and marmalades
* Haywards pickles
* Homepride cooking sauces
* Hovis bread and flour
* Loyd Grossman sauces under licence
* Lyons cakes and baked goods
* Marvel milk powder
* McDougalls flour and cake mixes
* Mother's Pride bread and baked goods
* Mr Kipling cakes
* Nimble bread and baked goods
* Ormo baked goods
* Oxo stocks and gravies
* Paxo stuffing
* Quorn vegetarian protein
* Robertson's jams and marmalades
* Rombouts coffee
* Rose's marmalades (under licence)
* Rowat's pickles
* Sarson's vinegar
* Saxa salt
* Sharwood's Indian, Chinese and SE Asian sauces
* Smash instant mash potato
* Sun-Pat peanut butter
* Supreme salt
* Waistline salad dressings

Competitors

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

References

External links

* [http://www.premierfoods.co.uk/ Official site]
* [http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=PFD.L Yahoo profile]