United Biscuits facts for kids
 |
|
|
Trade name
|
United Biscuits |
|---|---|
|
Formerly
|
United Biscuits (Holdings) plc |
| Private, formerly Public | |
| Traded as | LSE: UB |
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 18 March 1948 |
| Headquarters | London, England |
|
Key people
|
Murat Ülker (Chairman) David Murray (Managing Director) Sridhar Ramamurthy (Chief financial officer) |
| Products | Sweet and salty snacks |
| Revenue |  £857.1 million (2022) |
|
Operating income
|
 £68.4 million (2022) |
| £50.2 million (2022) |
|
|
Number of employees
|
3,948 (2022) |
| Parent | Pladis (50–75%) |
United Biscuits (UB) is a big British food company. They make many popular snacks like McVitie's biscuits, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets. This company used to be listed on the London Stock Exchange. This means its shares could be bought and sold by the public. In November 2014, a company called Yıldız Holding bought United Biscuits. Now, UB is part of a larger food group called Pladis.
United Biscuits makes its products in several countries across Europe. These include the Netherlands, France, and Belgium. They also have a factory in India. The main office for the company is in west London, England.
Contents
The Story of United Biscuits
How UB Started
United Biscuits, or UB, began in 1948. It was formed when two Scottish family businesses joined together. These were McVitie & Price and MacFarlane Lang. In 1962, United Biscuits bought William Crawford & Sons. This was a Scottish bakery that started in 1813. Three years later, in 1965, they also bought William MacDonald & Sons. This deal brought the popular Penguin biscuit brand to the company.
United Biscuits became a public company on the London Stock Exchange on July 27, 1948. This allowed people to buy shares in the company.
Growing Bigger
In 1972, United Biscuits bought Carr's of Carlisle. This company was famous for making Table Water biscuits. Two years later, in 1974, UB bought a company in the USA called Keebler Company. They also owned the Wimpy Bar fast food chain for a while. They sold Wimpy Bar in 1989.
In 1988, United Biscuits bought a frozen food company called Ross Young's.
Changes and Sales
United Biscuits sold Keebler in 1995. They had tried to succeed in the American market but decided to sell. In 1998, PepsiCo bought Smith's Snackfood Company from United Biscuits.
In May 2000, United Biscuits was bought by a group of investors. As part of this deal, UB took over some of Nabisco's businesses in Europe. They also sold off parts of their international business. This included some brands like TUC. In 2001, the company sold Young's Bluecrest. This helped them focus more on sweet biscuits.
In September 2004, United Biscuits bought the UK part of Groupe Danone's Jacob's Biscuit Group. This deal included popular products like Cream Crackers and Twiglets. In July 2006, the company sold its biscuit business in Southern Europe to Kraft Foods.
Later in 2006, a group of investment companies bought United Biscuits. In December 2012, UB sold its KP Snacks business. Finally, on November 3, 2014, Blackstone and PAI Partners announced they had sold United Biscuits to Yıldız Holding.
What United Biscuits Does
The main part of United Biscuits' business is in the United Kingdom. Here, they make many different biscuits. Some of their well-known brands include McVitie's biscuits and Jacob's Cream Crackers.
The company has factories in several European countries. These include the Netherlands, France, and Belgium. They also have a factory in India.
The main office for United Biscuits is in Chiswick Business Park in west London. Their main distribution center in the UK is in Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
Popular Brands
- Carr's
- Crawfords
- Tasties
- Delacre
- Verkade
- Go ahead!
- Wing Dings
- Flipper Dipper
Jacob's
- Biscuits for Cheese
- Mini Cheddars
- Cheddars
- Cheeselets
- Choice Grain
- Cornish Wafer
- Cream Crackers
- Essentials Crackers
- Mediterraneo
- Thai Bites
- Water Biscuits
- Twiglets
- Crinklys
- Oddities
- TUC (UK market only)
McVities
- Ginger Nuts
- Digestives
- Hobnobs
- BN
- Rich Tea
- Penguin
- Taxi
- Lyle's
- Mini Rolls
- Club
- Gold
- Iced Gems
- Happy Faces
- Jaffa Cakes
- United (discontinued)
United Biscuits Network
The United Biscuits Network was a special radio station. It broadcast only to UB factories across the UK from 1970 to 1979. This network helped start the careers of famous UK radio and TV personalities. These included Steve Allen and Dale Winton.
See also
In Spanish: United Biscuits para niños
- Burton's Biscuit Company
- Huntley & Palmers
- Jacob Fruitfield Food Group
- Tunnock's
