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	£1,006.4 million (2023)
Operating income	£132.2 million (2023)
Net income	£91.6 million (2023)
Number of employees	4,322 (2023)

Premier Foods plc is a big British food company based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in the United Kingdom. They own many well-known brands that you might see in your kitchen! Think of delicious cakes like Mr Kipling, creamy Ambrosia custards, and tasty sauces like Homepride and Sharwood's. They also make popular gravy like Bisto and instant meals like Batchelors. Premier Foods even makes cakes under the Cadbury's name, using a special agreement. This company is listed on the London Stock Exchange, which means its shares can be bought and sold by people. It is a part of the FTSE 250 Index, which is a list of 250 large companies in the UK.

Company History

Starting the Company

The company started in London in 1975. It was founded by two businessmen, Harry Solomon and David Thompson. It was first called Hillsdown Holdings. The name came from David Thompson's house!

In 1986, Hillsdown Holdings bought several food businesses from Beechams. In 1990, they bought Premier Brands. This included popular items like Typhoo tea and Cadbury's drinks. In 1999, a company called Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst bought Hillsdown Holdings. Then, in 2002, they bought Nestlé's packaged food business. The company was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2004, meaning its shares could be publicly traded.

Growing Bigger

Premier Foods grew even more by buying other famous brands.

• In 2004, they bought the Ambrosia custard and rice pudding brand from Unilever.
• In 2005, they acquired Bird's Custard and Angel Delight from Kraft Foods.
• Later in 2005, they bought Marlow Foods, which makes Quorn. They also bought Cauldron, bringing together two big meat-free brands. That same year, Premier Foods sold Typhoo tea to a company in India.
• In 2006, Premier Foods bought the UK and Ireland businesses of Campbell's. This deal included well-known brands like Oxo, Batchelors, Homepride, and Fray Bentos. Campbell's Soup cans were then rebranded as Batchelors Condensed Soup.
• In March 2007, Premier Foods took over another big food company called Rank Hovis McDougall (RHM). This was a very large purchase.

Making Changes

After growing so much, Premier Foods started to make some changes to its business.

• In 2011, they sold some of their brands, like Crosse & Blackwell and Fray Bentos, to another company called Princes.
• They also sold Marlow Foods (which makes Quorn) in 2011. This created a new company called Quorn Foods. These sales helped Premier Foods reduce its debt, which had grown from buying so many companies.
• In 2012, Premier Foods sold more brands. They sold their pickle and vinegar brands, including Haywards, Sarson's, and Dufrais, to Mizkan. They also sold Branston that year.
• In August 2012, they sold their sweet spreads and jellies, like Hartley's jam, Sun-Pat peanut butter, and Robertson's, to Hain Celestial Group.
• In 2014, Premier Foods changed its business structure. They made the Hovis bread brand into a separate company, with Premier Foods owning a smaller part of it. They also did something similar with their powdered food and drinks business, creating Knighton Foods.
• In December 2014, it was reported that the company was asking its suppliers to pay a fee to sell their goods and services to Premier Foods. Premier Foods stated that this practice was allowed under competition law.
• In 2015, the company started working with famous baker Paul Hollywood. They created a range of baking mixes together.
• In March 2016, Premier Foods announced a partnership with the Japanese company Nissin Foods. They agreed to help each other sell products in their home countries. Premier Foods also said they had turned down an offer from another company, McCormick & Company, to buy them. Nissin Foods then bought a part of Premier Foods.

Our Brands

Premier Foods owns many popular food brands, including: