Bakkavör facts for kids
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| Public | |
| Traded as | LSE: BAKK FTSE 250 |
| Industry | Food manufacturing |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters |
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England, UK
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Number of locations
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46 |
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Area served
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Key people
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| Products | |
| Revenue |  £2,292.7 million (2024) |
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Operating income
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£113.6 million (2024) |
| £55.7 million (2024) |
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Number of employees
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c.17,450 (2025) |
| Divisions | Meals, Desserts, Pizza & Bread, Salads |
Bakkavor Group plc is a big international company that makes fresh prepared foods. Think of things like ready meals, salads, and desserts! Their main office is in London, England. Bakkavor has 46 factories in the UK, the United States, and China. It's also listed on the London Stock Exchange, which means its shares can be bought and sold there.
Contents
The Story of Bakkavor
How Bakkavor Started
Bakkavor was started in 1986 by two brothers, Ágúst and Lýður Guðmundsson. They began by making and selling cod roe (fish eggs) to countries in Scandinavia. In 1993, their company was the first in Iceland to get an ISO:9002 certificate. This certificate shows that a company has good quality assurance for its products.
Growing the Business
By 1997, Bakkavor had grown and was selling cod and lumpfish roe in Europe. By October 2000, the company was making a lot of money each year. They decided to expand their business by selling convenience foods. These are foods that are quick and easy to prepare.
Bakkavor bought other food companies to help them grow. They bought Katsouris Fresh Foods in 1997 and Wine & Dine in 2000. In 2005, they acquired a company called Geest. In early 2003, Bakkavor sold its businesses in Iceland. After that, they focused mostly on the UK market. By 2005, the company had more than 13,000 employees.
Changes and New Directions
After some financial challenges around 2008, the founding brothers bought back a large part of Bakkavor in 2009. In 2010, the company stopped being listed on the stock exchange in Iceland. It became a private company.
Between 2013 and 2015, Bakkavor made its business simpler. They sold their operations in South Africa and a part of their business in Italy. They also sold other parts of their business in Europe. In January 2015, Bakkavor bought a US company that makes prepared foods, called B. Robert's Foods.
In January 2016, a company owned by the Guðmundsson brothers and another investment group bought more shares in Bakkavor. This meant they owned about 89% of the company.
In April 2017, some supermarkets had to take back Bakkavor's hummus from their shelves. This happened because of problems with how the product was made.
In November 2017, Bakkavor started selling its shares on the London Stock Exchange again. This was their first time offering shares to the public there.
In 2019, Bakkavor bought Blueberry Foods, a company in Leicester, UK, that makes desserts. In 2022, Ágúst Guðmundsson stepped down as the CEO. Mike Edwards took over as the new Chief Executive Officer.
Recent Events
On September 27, 2024, over 400 workers at a Bakkavor factory in Spalding, Lincolnshire went on strike. They were asking for better pay. Bakkavor said they had offered pay raises to their workers. About 35% of the workers were on strike, but the other 800 continued to work. In November 2024, news reports said that the strike was causing shortages of taramasalata and some chilled soups in UK supermarkets.
What Bakkavor Makes
Bakkavor creates many different kinds of food products. These include:
- Ready meals
- Salads
- Desserts
- Dips
- Sauces
- Sandwiches
- Pizza and bread products
Bakkavor makes over 3,200 different types of products. They supply these foods to more than 900 places in the UK, the United States, and China.
Where Bakkavor Operates
Bakkavor has many factories around the world:
- 23 factories in the UK
- 9 factories in the United States
- 5 factories in China
