Weetabix (food company)

: "This article describes the company sometimes known simply as "Weetabix". For their breakfast cereal of the same name, see Weetabix."Infobox Company
company_name = Weetabix Ltd
company_
company_type = Private
foundation = 1932
location = Station Road, Burton Latimer, UK
key_people = CEO: [http://www.foodconnection.co.uk/databases/detail3.cfm?recordID=5 Ken Wood] Chairman: Sir Richard George
area_served = Europe, USA, Canada
industry = Breakfast cereal
products = Weetabix, Alpen, Ready Brek
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees = c. 2,000
parent = Latimer Group Ltd
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.weetabix.com Weetabix Ltd]
footnotes =

Weetabix Limited is a food processing company that is responsible for the production of breakfast cereal brands. "Weetabix" is also the name of one of the company's products, a wheat-based breakfast cereal in the form of relatively large biscuits.

History

The food product was originally invented in Australia in 1900. The company was founded in 1932 by Frank George, changing its name to "Weetabix" in 1936, and incorporated in 1975. It is situated just south of Kettering. The company does not have the rights to the product in Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. In these countries, the brand is called Weet-Bix made by Sanitarium Health Food Company of New Zealand. The company used to import its wheat from Australia until the 1970s, when it became too expensive, so bought locally instead. Alpen was invented in 1971, when the marketing director went on holiday in France, and tasted a local delicacy.Fact|date=October 2008

Ownership

In November 2003 the company was bought from the founders, the George family, by the American Private Equity firm HM Capital of Dallas, which also own the large UK food company Premier Foods.Fact|date=February 2007 Since January 29 2004, it has been owned by Lion Capital LLP.

Awards

It has won three Queen's Awards for Export, lastly in 2004.

Company structure

The company is headquartered in Burton Latimer, Kettering, Northamptonshire, England, and its 75 acre site is next to the A14 junction with the A6. It also has factories in Corby and Ashton-under-Lyne. The company produces 3 billion Weetabix breakfast biscuits every year from its Kettering site. Weetabix is also one of the major manufacturers of generic cereals for the major supermarkets (See private brand).

Weetabix has factories in Europe, the United States and Canada. It is the largest producer of breakfast cereals in the UK. It exports to eighty countries.

ponsorship

Weetabix is also the title sponsor of the Women's British Open.

It also [http://www.northants.police.uk/default.asp?action=article&ID=6103 sponsors] Northamptonshire Police.

Brands

The following are amongst the company's products:
* Weetabix, and variants including
** Weetabix Minis
** Weetabix Gold
* Alpen
* Ready Brek
* Grain Shop High Fibre Crisp
* Oatibix
* Weetos
* Weetaflakes
* Weetabix Crunchy Bran
* Multigrain Stars

External links

* [http://www.weetabix.co.uk/ Weetabix]
* [http://www.latimergroupltd.com Latimer Group Ltd]

News items

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/northamptonshire/4056341.stm Prince Charles, a fan of Weetabix, in 2004]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3282317.stm Bought by Hicks Muse Tate & Furst in November 2003 for £642m]