At a Glance
A leading food business
As one of the UK’s largest food businesses, we’re passionate about food and believe, each and every day, we have the opportunity to enrich life for everyone. We employ over 4,000 dedicated colleagues operating from 15 sites across the country, supplying a range of retail, wholesale, foodservice and other customers with our iconic brands which feature in millions of homes every day.
We operate primarily in the ambient food sector, which is one of the largest sectors within the total UK grocery market. We operate in four key Grocery categories: Flavourings & Seasonings; Quick Meals, Snacks & Soups; Ambient Desserts and Cooking Sauces & Accompaniments. Within Sweet Treats we operate in the Ambient Cakes category. Our brands are leaders in their categories with high household penetration, and 86% of our total revenue comes from branded products.
Approximately 94% of UK households buy one or more of our products every year, with Bisto, OXO, Sharwood’s and Mr Kipling amongst our family of much-loved brands. We source our ingredients in a responsible manner to give consumers confidence that the food they buy is produced in the most ethical and sustainable way possible. In addition, the Group has a portfolio of other branded food products and a non-branded food business which manufactures products, such as cakes and desserts, on behalf of many of the UK’s food retailers, as well as a B2B business supplying food products and ingredients.
Expanding internationally
We are growing our international business through the application of our brand building capabilities and executional focus in our priority markets – our International business now accounts for around 6% of Group revenue. We have significant businesses in Ireland and Australia with established relationships with the major food retailers. We are also developing opportunities to expand Mr Kipling and Sharwood’s cooking sauces in a number of markets, including North America and Europe.
Strategic partnerships
Since we entered into a cooperation agreement with Nissin Foods Holdings Co., Ltd ('Nissin') in 2016, we’ve launched Batchelors Super Noodles in a new pot format using Nissin’s noodle technology and manufacturing expertise. In addition, we have taken on distribution of Nissin’s Soba noodles and brought the Cup Noodle brand to the UK market.
Nissin noodles have grown UK market share significantly since 2017, and are now the market leader in the authentic snack pot market.
In 2017, we signed a new strategic global partnership with Mondelēz International to renew the Company’s long-standing licence to produce and market Cadbury branded cake, as well as home baking and ambient dessert products. The partnership covers multiple countries and has the potential to use the full range of Cadbury brands in ambient cake.
Customers
We operate a multi-format, multi-channel approach to serving a broad range of customers, including major UK supermarkets, discounters, e-commerce channels, convenience stores, wholesalers and foodservice operators.
1. Kantar Worldpanel Total Market Penetration for the 52 weeks to 24 March 2019.
2. Institute of Grocery Distribution, UK Grocery June 2018.
3. Kantar Worldpanel Total Market for the 52 weeks to 24 March 2019.