Seamark Group facts for kids
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| Privately held company | |
| Industry | Food processing |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Iqbal Ahmed Bilal Ahmed Kamal Ahmed |
| Headquarters |
Hulme Hall Lane, Lord Lord North Street, Manchester
,
England, M40 8AD
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|
Number of locations
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4 |
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Key people
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Iqbal Ahmed (Chairman and Chief Executive) |
| Products | Seafood, poultry, fruit, vegetables |
| Brands | Tiger Brand, Lilly, Restaurant Wholesale, Classic, Seagold Brand, Ibco Brand, Mr, Prawn, Sylhet Brand, Vermilion & Cinnabar |
 £ 250 million |
|
| Owner | Iqbal Ahmed Bilal Ahmed Kamal Ahmed |
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Number of employees
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4,500 |
Seamark Group is a big company that processes and sells food all over the world. It has offices in Manchester, England, and Chittagong, Bangladesh. Three brothers, Iqbal, Bilal, and Kamal Ahmed, started the company in 1976.
Contents
How Seamark Started
Seamark was the first company to bring a type of shrimp called "black tiger shrimps" to Europe in 1976. The company was founded by three brothers: Iqbal, Bilal, and Kamal Ahmed. In 1991, Seamark plc was officially set up. They focused on processing and storing warm water shrimps, especially black tiger and fresh water king prawns. After being processed and packed, these shrimps were sent to many countries in Europe.
Since 1992, Seamark has invested a lot of money, over £30 million, to build and improve its facilities around the world. In November 2000, they opened a large seafood processing plant in Chittagong, Bangladesh. This plant cost £10 million to build.
In 2006, the company spent £12 million on new main offices in East Manchester. This is where their related company, IBCO Food Industries, also opened. Later, in November 2007, a Thai restaurant called Vermilion was opened at this same location.
What Seamark Makes
Seamark offers more than 1,000 different food products. These include seafood, chicken, fruits, vegetables, and finger foods. Their operations in Chittagong, Bangladesh, process many items. They handle traditional shrimps, poultry, dry foods, and frozen fruits and vegetables. These products are then supplied to restaurants and food businesses.
The company has its own shrimp processing line and a place where shrimps are hatched in Chittagong. They also have a fleet of boats that catch fish in the Bay of Bengal. In Manchester, they have a special processing plant and their main office. They also have a distribution center in The Netherlands to help deliver products across Europe.
Seamark Around the World
Seamark is a large global business. It makes over £161 million each year and has a total yearly sales of $250 million. The company employs about 4,500 people worldwide. Around 300 of these employees work at their facilities in East Manchester. The production plants in Bangladesh have created 1,000 jobs for people living there.
Seamark sells its products to stores, wholesalers, and distributors all over the world. Their main markets are in Germany and the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg). The entire Seamark Group of companies has a total sales of $400 million. It is the top company in the UK for importing and processing shrimps. Many chefs use their products, and you can find them in supermarkets globally.
More than 69% of Seamark's sales come from exports to other countries. About half of all the shrimps sent out from Britain come from Seamark's processing plants. The company's international sales grew by 22% each year between 2009 and 2011.
Awards and Special Mentions
Seamark has received several awards for its success.
- In 1998, they won the Queen's Awards for Enterprise for their international trade.
- In July 1999, they received the Barclays Business in Europe export award.
In Bangladesh, the government gave Seamark a national award and a gold medal for three years in a row (2001, 2002, and 2003). This was for exporting the most seafood.
In 2012, Seamark was listed among the top 200 private companies in the UK by The Sunday Times HSBC International Track. In February 2016, they won the Outstanding Business of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards.
See also
- Business of British Bangladeshis
