United Biscuits
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founder(s) | McVitie & Price MacFarlane Lang |
| Headquarters | Hayes, Middlesex, United Kingdom |
| Key people | Benoit Testard (CEO) Jeffrey Van Der Eems (COO) David Fish (Chairman) |
| Products | Biscuits |
| Revenue | £1,142.3 million (2007) |
| Operating income | £141.7 million (2007) |
| Net income | £24.0 million (2007) |
| Owner(s) | Blackstone and PAI Partners[1] |
| Website | www.unitedbiscuits.com |
United Biscuits ("UB") is a British multinational food manufacturer, makers of the BN biscuits, McVitie's biscuits, KP Nuts, Hula Hoops, The Real McCoy's crisps, Phileas Fogg snacks, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets. The Company was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but in December 2006 it was acquired by a consortium of Blackstone Group and PAI Partners.
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[edit] History
United Biscuits was formed in 1948 from the merger between McVitie & Price and MacFarlane Lang.[2]
In 1972, it acquired Carr's of Carlisle, makers of the eponymous Table Water biscuits.[3]
The Company owned the Wimpy Bar fast food restaurant chain between 1977 and 1989.[4] It also acquired the chilled food company Ross Young's in 1988.[2]
The Company was acquired in May 2000 by Finalrealm, a consortium of financial investors, as well as Nabisco Holdings Corporation: as part of the transaction, UB acquired Nabisco's European businesses.[5]
The Company sold Young's Bluecrest in 2001, in order to concentrate on the sweet biscuit sector.[6]
In September 2004 the Company bought the UK portion of Groupe Danone's Jacob's Biscuit Group for £240 million.[7]
In July 2006 it sold its Southern European biscuits business to Kraft Foods, which in turn left the owner syndicate.[8]
In October 2006 the Company was sold to a consortium made up of the Blackstone Group and PAI Partners.[9] The deal was completed in December 2006.[10]
[edit] Operations
The core of the business is in the United Kingdom, where it produces biscuits, crisps and other snacks under a number of brand names including: McVitie's biscuits, KP Nuts, Hula Hoops, McCoy's crisps, Phileas Fogg snacks, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets.
The company manufactures in a number of countries across Europe, such as the Netherlands, France and Belgium.
The company's headquarters is in Hayes, Middlesex. The company's main UK distribution centre is at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, where it also has a factory manufacturing KP Snacks.
[edit] United Biscuits Network
The United Biscuits Network, a closed-circuit radio network serving their factories across the UK which was active from 1970 to 1979, spawned the career of UK radio presenter Steve Allen and TV and radio personality Dale Winton.[11]
[edit] Recall
On 2 November 2007, United Biscuits issued a recall on its Crawford's Bourbon Cream biscuits. The reason for the recall was the possible presence of small pieces of thin metal wire in the biscuits.[12]
[edit] In popular culture
In his 2009 book The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, Alain de Botton chronicles his tour and brief experiences with employees of United Biscuits as they launched the "Moments" biscuit line.
[edit] See also
- BN Biscuit
- Burton's Foods
- Jacob Fruitfield Food Group
- Huntley & Palmers
- Tunnock's
- Digestive biscuit
- Jaffa Cakes
[edit] References
- ^ Arnott, Sarah (2010-07-22). The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/united-biscuits-private-equity-owners--mull-sale-2032134.html.
- ^ a b "History". United Biscuits. http://www.unitedbiscuits.com/about-us.php?rnd=2djB9FgOnxaVmYVMBx3FiTobV4FKJlNRfAt0h2mHW8U%3D. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
- ^ "Our brands: Carr's". United Biscuits. http://www.mcvities.com/our-brands.php?rnd=leRc2VgxTHoijbAPt7fcpK9x1Pdbh3mvrcqCTKcPcfE%3D. Retrieved 2009-01-04.[dead link]
- ^ "Information on Wimpy's Franchise",Caterer Search. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
- ^ ""UB to weigh up its options"". Eurofood. April 25, 2002. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DQA/is_2002_April_25/ai_85280727. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
- ^ ""United Biscuits selling Young's stake"". Eurofood. March 29, 2001. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DQA/is_2001_March_29/ai_73233545. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
- ^ ""Danone sells its UK biscuits to United"". The Independent. July 24, 2004. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20040724/ai_n12801313. Retrieved 2007-04-12.[dead link]
- ^ "City sandwich". London: Telegraph. July 11, 2006. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/migrationtemp/2943018/City-sandwich.html. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
- ^ Parkinson, Gary (October 26, 2006). ""Private-equity companies snap up United Biscuits in a [pound]1.6bn"". The Independent. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20061026/ai_n16803530. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
- ^ ""Blackstone and PAI complete purchase of UB"" (Press release). United Biscuits. December 15, 2006. http://www.unitedbiscuits.com/80256C1A0047922E/vWeb/pcHHUS6WHM5F. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
- ^ "Pick of the Pops Biography". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/pickofthepops/biography.shtml. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
- ^ Food Standards Agency (2007-11-02). "United Biscuits Recalls Certain Batches of its Crawford's Bourbon Cream Biscuits Due to Possible Metal Contamination". http://www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/alerts/2007/nov/bourboncream. Retrieved 2007-11-05
[edit] External links
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