Cavenham Foods facts for kids

Cavenham Foods was once a very large food company in the United Kingdom. It was involved in processing and selling food products.

What Was Cavenham Foods?

Cavenham Foods was a big business that focused on food. It was known for owning many different food companies and supermarkets. This company was started in 1965 by a famous businessman named Sir James Goldsmith. He wanted to create a large food empire.

How Cavenham Foods Started

Sir James Goldsmith began Cavenham Foods by buying several bakeries in 1965. This was the first step in building his big food business. He saw a chance to bring many food companies together under one name.

Growing Bigger with Supermarkets

Cavenham Foods grew quickly by buying other companies. This is called a "takeover" or "acquisition." In 1971, Cavenham bought the Bovril Company, which made a popular beef extract.

To help pay for more takeovers, Cavenham Foods sold some of its other businesses. For example, it sold most of its dairies and operations in South America. This helped the company get money to buy even more businesses.

Cavenham Foods then bought several large supermarket chains:

• In 1972, it bought Allied Suppliers for £86 million. Allied Suppliers was a big supermarket business in Britain.
• In 1973, it bought the Grand Union Company for £62 million. This was an American supermarket business.
• In 1978, it bought Colonial Stores for £133 million. This was another American supermarket chain.
• In 1979, it bought J. Weingarten Inc., also an American supermarket business.

These purchases made Cavenham Foods a very large company with stores in both the UK and the USA.

The End of Cavenham Foods

In the early 1980s, Sir James Goldsmith decided to sell most of his investments. This meant he sold off the companies that Cavenham Foods owned. The main British part of the business, Allied Suppliers, was sold to another company called Argyll Foods. After these sales, Cavenham Foods was eventually closed down.