Associated British Foods facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Associated British Foods plc

Formerly	George Weston Holdings plc (1934–1994)
Type	Public
Traded as	LSE: ABF FTSE 100 Component
Industry	Food processing Retail
Founded	20 October 1935; 89 years ago (1935-10-20)
Founder	W. Garfield Weston
Headquarters	London, England, UK
Area served	Worldwide
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Products	Food ingredients
Revenue	£20.073 billion (2024)
Operating income	£1.998 billion (2024)
Net income	£1.480 billion (2024)
Total assets	£19.014 billion (2024)
Total equity	£11.278 billion (2024)
Owner	Wittington Investments (54.5%)
Number of employees	138,000 (2025)
Subsidiaries	AB Agri AB Mauri AB Sugar AB World Foods Allied Bakeries Allied Mills ACH Food Companies British Sugar Dorset Cereals Illovo Sugar Primark Wander AG

Associated British Foods plc (often called ABF) is a big company from the UK that makes and sells food, and also owns clothing stores. Its main office is in London, England.

ABF has different parts. One part makes ingredients like sugar and baker's yeast. It's actually the world's second-largest maker of these two things! They also make other ingredients like emulsifiers and enzymes. Another part of ABF makes popular food items you might see in a grocery store. These include well-known brands like Mazola, Ovaltine, Ryvita, Jordans, Kingsmill, and Twinings.

ABF also owns a clothing store chain called Primark. Primark has about 384 stores in many countries, especially in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. The company also has an American branch called ACH Food Companies. ABF is listed on the London Stock Exchange, which means its shares can be bought and sold there. It's also part of the FTSE 100 Index, which is a list of the 100 biggest companies on the London Stock Exchange.

Company History

How ABF Started

The company was started by a Canadian named W. Garfield Weston in 1935. It was first called Food Investments Limited. Just a month later, its name changed to Allied Bakeries Limited.

Between 1935 and 1956, Allied Bakeries bought ten different bakery companies. One of the biggest purchases was in 1955. Allied bought the British businesses of the Aerated Bread Company, which had started way back in 1862. This deal included their bakeries and a chain of cafes called A.B.C. Tearooms. At that time, Allied already made a lot of the bread in the UK. After buying A.B.C., Allied almost doubled its share of the UK's bread market.

In 1960, Allied Bakeries changed its name again to Associated British Foods, or ABF. They kept running A.B.C. as a separate brand for a while. However, the main A.B.C. bakery in London closed in 1982, and the A.B.C. name was no longer used.

Changes Over the Years

After the founder, W. Garfield Weston, passed away in 1978, his son Garry Weston took over the company. His other son, Galen Weston, took charge of the company's businesses in North America.

In 1986, ABF sold its Fine Fare supermarket chain. Then, in 1991, they bought British Sugar, a big sugar producer. In 1997, ABF sold its retail stores in Ireland to another company called Tesco. These stores included Quinnsworth and Crazy Prices. In May 1994, another company called Greggs bought the Bakers Oven chain from ABF.

An old box of Argo laundry starch.

ABF in the 2000s

In 2000, ABF sold its part of Burton's Biscuits. Over the next few years, ABF bought several well-known brands from other companies. In 2002, they bought Mazola corn oil, Argo and Kingsford's cornstarch, and Karo syrups from Unilever. In 2004, they bought the Tone's spice business and Fleischman yeast business. Then, in 2007, they bought Patak's, a company known for Indian food.

In 2011, some groups raised concerns about how Associated British Foods and its parent company, Wittington Investments, managed their taxes. These groups suggested that ABF might have used certain financial methods to reduce the amount of tax they paid. ABF stated that they followed all tax rules.

In 2013, a charity also accused Zambia Sugar, a company owned by ABF, of not paying much corporate tax in Zambia. ABF denied these claims, saying they were not involved in anything illegal or wrong.

In November 2024, George Weston, who is the chief executive of ABF, mentioned that recent tax changes in the UK might make the company invest more money outside the UK.

What ABF Does Today

Popular Brands

ABF owns many food brands that you might recognize.

Two slices of Kingsmill bread

Ryvita crispbread

Companies ABF Owns

ABF also owns many other companies around the world. These are called its subsidiaries.

Who Owns ABF?

A company called Wittington Investments owns 54.5% of ABF. Most of Wittington Investments (79.2%) is owned by the Garfield Weston Foundation. This foundation is one of the biggest charities in the UK that gives out grants. The rest of Wittington Investments is owned by members of the Weston family. Wittington Investments also owns other famous businesses like Fortnum & Mason and Heal & Son.

George G. Weston became the chief executive officer of ABF on April 1, 2005. Galen Weston, who leads George Weston Ltd., is also on the board of directors for ABF. Garth Weston is a regional president for AB Mauri, one of ABF's companies.

See also

In Spanish: Associated British Foods para niños

• Sugar industry of the United Kingdom