Premier Foods facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Premier Foods plc

Type	Public
Traded as	LSE: PFD FTSE 250 component
Industry	Food Manufacturing
Predecessor	Rank Hovis McDougall
Founded	1975 (as Hillsdown Holdings)
Headquarters	St. Albans, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Key people	Colin Day, (Chairman) Alex Whitehouse, (CEO)
Products	Foods
Revenue	£1,137.5 million (2024)
Operating income	£177.7 million (2024)
Net income	£112.5 million (2024)
Number of employees	4,232 (2024)

Premier Foods plc is a big British company that makes many popular foods. Its main office is in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in the United Kingdom. You might know some of their famous brands like Mr Kipling cakes, Ambrosia custard, Bird's Custard, and Angel Delight. They also make cooking sauces like Homepride and Sharwood's, and gravy like Bisto. Premier Foods even makes cakes using the Cadbury's name, with special permission. This company is listed on the London Stock Exchange, which means its shares can be bought and sold there.

The Story of Premier Foods

How Premier Foods Started

The company began in London in 1975. It was founded by Harry Solomon and David Thompson. Back then, it was called Hillsdown Holdings. The name "Hillsdown" came from David Thompson's house.

Over the years, the company grew by buying other food businesses. In 1986, they bought some food brands from Beechams. In 1990, they acquired Premier Brands, which included popular names like Typhoo tea and Cadbury's drinks.

In 1999, a private equity company called Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst bought Hillsdown Holdings. Later, in 2002, they bought Nestlé's ambient foods business. Ambient foods are those that can be stored at room temperature, like canned goods. Premier Foods was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2004.

Growing Bigger: New Brands Join the Family

Premier Foods continued to grow by adding more well-known brands.

• In 2004, they bought the Ambrosia custard and rice pudding brand from Unilever.
• In 2005, they acquired Kraft Foods' dessert businesses. This included famous brands like Bird's Custard and Angel Delight.
• Later in 2005, Premier Foods bought Marlow Foods, which makes Quorn. They also bought Cauldron, bringing together two big names in meat-free foods. That same year, they sold Typhoo tea to a company in India.
• In 2006, Premier Foods acquired the UK and Ireland businesses of Campbell's. This deal included popular brands like Oxo, Batchelors, Homepride, and Fray Bentos. Some Campbell's products were then rebranded under the Batchelors or Fray Bentos names.
• In March 2007, Premier Foods took over another big food company, Rank Hovis McDougall (RHM). This was a very large deal. After this, some RHM factories were closed to help the company become more efficient.
• In 2008, the company relaunched the Hovis bread brand. They created a famous advertisement called Go On Lad, which was later voted "Advert of the Decade" by the British public.

Making Changes: Focusing on Key Brands

Premier Foods made some big changes to focus on its main food brands and reduce its debt.

• In 2011, they sold their Crosse & Blackwell, Fray Bentos, and Smedley's businesses.
• They also sold Marlow Foods, which made Quorn, creating a new company called Quorn Foods.
• In 2012, Premier Foods sold more brands, including Haywards pickle, Sarson's vinegar, and Branston. They also sold their sweet spreads and jellies division, which included Hartley's jam and Sun-Pat peanut butter.
• In 2014, Premier Foods made a big change with the Hovis bread brand. They created a joint venture with a US company, and Premier Foods sold most of its share in Hovis. This meant Hovis became a separate private company.
• Later in 2014, they also spun off their powdered food and drinks operations into a joint venture called Knighton Foods.
• In 2015, Premier Foods started a partnership with famous baker Paul Hollywood. They worked together to create new baking mixes for people to use at home.
• In 2016, the company partnered with the Japanese company Nissin Foods. They agreed to help each other sell products in their home countries. Nissin Foods also bought a share in Premier Foods.

Premier Foods Brands

Premier Foods owns many well-known food brands. Here are some of them:

• Ambrosia custards and rice pudding
• Angel Delight desserts
• Atora shredded suet
• Batchelors dehydrated foods, Super Noodles and dried soup Cup-a-Soup
• Be-Ro flour
• Bird's custard and desserts
• Bisto gravy
• Cadbury cakes and cake mixes (made under licence from Mondelez International)
• Homepride cooking sauces and ready meals
• Loyd Grossman sauces cooking sauces
• Lyons cakes and baked goods
• Marvel milk powder
• McDougalls flour
• Mr Kipling cakes and cake mixes
• Nissin noodle pots and blocks (distributed under licence from Nissin Food Holdings Co Ltd)
• Oxo stocks and seasonings
• Paxo stuffing
• Peckish rice crackers (under licence)
• Plantastic health foods
• Saxa salt and pepper
• Sharwood's Asian cooking sauces
• Smash instant mash potato
• The Spice Tailor by Anjum Anand
• Vesta dried ready meals

Caring for Animals

Premier Foods is also recognized for its efforts in animal welfare. In 2025, the company received a 'Tier 2' status from the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW). This means they scored well (between 62–80%) on how they manage and improve the welfare of farm animals. Achieving Tier 2 shows that Premier Foods has made good progress in having strong policies and practices for animal welfare.