238:(M&S) executive who was setting up a new store in Belfast. M&S began buying milk for the store from Northern Foods, followed by yoghurt deliveries and food, including the first fresh trifle for M&S. The contract developed into food sales to M&S that were eventually worth over half a billion pounds a year. Northern Foods also made some non-competing products for other retailers. Since then its strategy has been to buy up and consolidate M&S suppliers.
307:
UK&I, to support the restructuring as CEO designate. They completed the restructuring that year selling the dedicated chilled distribution (NFT), flour milling (Smiths), cakes (Park Cakes), speciality bread (Fletchers) and chilled pastry businesses (Pork Farms
Bowyers) were also sold to a private
267:
Nicholas
Horsley took early retirement due to a rare genetic wasting disease, and by 1986, Haskins had become chairman of Northern Foods. In 1994, the Milk Marketing Board was abolished and milk prices in supermarkets fell. The loss of the high return on milk made a measurable impact on all dairy
300:. This was rejected by M&S which, partly as a result of shareholder pressure, decided to be more transactional in its supplier relationships and started to take volume out of the Northern Foods factories to diversify its supply base. Four profit warnings followed.
319:
Whereas trading was now performing well, a major issue for
Northern Foods’ had become its large pension scheme, which since the 2008 financial crisis, had moved from being in surplus to having a sizeable £150m deficit. A merger of equals with
308:
equity group, Vision
Capital. Lastly, the Green Isle Boyle site and its Trafford Park Bakery were also closed with production either consolidated into other factories within its footprint or moved to other manufacturers such as
272:
in 1998 as the depressed margins were dragging the share price down of the overall group. Both businesses were listed to the FTSE 250. Express
Dairies was later bought by in a staged acquisition, finalised in 2003, by
182:, the son-in-law of the company's founder Alec Horsley. Haskins became a director in 1967, deputy chairman in 1974, and was chairman from 1980 to 2002. The company was delisted in 2011 when it was bought by the
1291:
312:. The restructuring complete, O’Driscoll stepped down and Barden took over as CEO in 2007. The next 16 quarters saw sales growth and margin expansion during a period of continued supply over capacity,
862:
230:, itself a legacy of post-war food shortages. That cash was used to fund diversification into foods. In 1972, Northern Dairies changed its name to Northern Foods. Nick Horsley's brother-in-law,
207:. During the war years, Horsley bought up many competing local dairies to become a major dairy force in the Humber region. In 1942, the business was registered as Northern Dairies and became a
324:
was proposed to help address this, but the pension fund preferred the protections given in an alternative offer by 2 Sisters PLC; which successfully consummated the acquisition in May 2011.
1184:
215:
joined the then
Northern Dairies as a trainee manager, becoming a director in 1963. His first business success was to acquire cheaply, a stake in a small ice-cream company called
1286:
1047:
1296:
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614:
527:
851:
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and many other smaller firms. It was during this period that the company pioneered the market in chilled, prepared meals and sandwiches in supermarkets.
1192:
1301:
824:
285:
Christopher
Haskins stepped down as CEO in 2002 with Jo Stewart succeeding him. In March 2004, Patricia O'Driscol, who had previously worked for
226:
The dairy was generating large amounts of cash, as many dairies were at the time, due to the government backed guaranteed pricing created by the
988:
798:
1119:
99:
1038:
1266:
663:
303:
In 2005, O'Driscoll embarked on a radical restructuring programme. In
February 2006, she hired Stefan Barden, formerly CEO of
29:
1069:
245:, for £8 million, dedicated entirely to M&S. At the time it was regarded as the most advanced food factory in Europe.
581:
534:
216:
1145:
220:
906:
331:. The Northern Foods factories continue to trade with the UK major supermarkets from within the 2 Sisters group.
559:
149:
Gunstones bakery, Solway Foods, Fox's
Biscuits, Green Isle Foods, Hollands Pies, Pennine Foods, Matthew Walker
1281:
684:
313:
204:
328:
163:
780:
642:
227:
183:
80:
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179:
936:
739:
248:
Nick
Horsley had successfully diversified the business, widening Northern Foods' portfolio into
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cakes (through Park Cakes), Smith's Flour Milling, brewing (with the purchase of
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111:
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321:
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67:
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825:"History of companies joining and leaving the FTSE 100 Index since 1984"
28:
711:"Recent Changes in Milk Marketing in the UK: The Farmers' Perspective"
304:
286:
799:"Dairy Farmers Are Paying the True Price for the UK's Cheap Milk"
49:
852:"Express Dairies agrees all-share merger with rival Arla Foods"
494:
350:
268:
companies including Northern Foods. Northern Foods demerged
1120:"In the spotlight - The Greencore, Northern Foods merger"
296:
In July 2004, M&S was subject to a takeover bid from
241:
In 1986, Northern Foods built Fenlands Food Factory in
1292:
Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange
740:"Northern Foods Plc Company Profile – Corporate Watch"
143:
131:
121:
109:
97:
86:
74:
63:
55:
45:
35:
1037:
850:
327:On 13 May 2011, the company was delisted from the
989:"Vision Capital realigns Northern Food purchases"
203:in 1937 as a family-run dairy business based in
158:is a British food manufacturer headquartered in
658:
656:
609:
607:
605:
603:
334:On 11 September 2020, Northern Foods sold the
8:
1287:Food and drink companies established in 1937
679:
677:
643:"Boparan wins Northern Foods with £341m bid"
582:"FTSE 100 Index original share constituents"
21:
1146:"Ferrero acquisisce i biscotti inglesi Fox"
316:and significant customer pricing pressure.
27:
20:
930:
928:
664:"Boparan becomes Northern Foods Chairman"
170:. The company is credited, together with
162:, England. It was formerly listed on the
1297:Food manufacturers of the United Kingdom
983:
981:
734:
732:
730:
178:category. The driver of this growth was
1039:"Northern Foods' chief executive exits"
937:"Northern Foods parts company with CEO"
765:"Peston's People: Lord Chris Haskins".
685:"Northern Foods plc -- Company History"
512:
1185:"Closed M&S food plant sparks row"
166:and was a constituent of the original
7:
637:
635:
522:
520:
518:
516:
403:Fletchers, Grain D’Or and Kara Foods
1237:"End of era for historic food firm"
1215:"Swansea ready meals firm to close"
1095:"Northern Foods Annual Report 2010"
560:"NORTHERN FOODS LIMITED - Overview"
277:a Danish and Swedish co-operative.
223:for a high price two years later.
14:
1171:Northern Foods to close Hull site
1050:from the original on 21 June 2022
1036:Mesure, Susie (2 February 2007).
1015:"Northern Foods to shed 900 jobs"
964:"Northern Foods unveils sell-off"
865:from the original on 21 June 2022
234:found himself on a plane next to
907:"How M&S sent Green packing"
293:, was hired to replace Stewart.
1302:1937 establishments in England
1:
211:in 1956. In 1958, Alec's son
16:Food company based in Britain
887:. BBC News. 4 September 2003
781:"Obituary: Nicholas Horsley"
709:Franks, G.R. (7 July 2002).
199:The business was founded by
1183:Hall, James (28 May 2008).
885:"Northern Foods boss quits"
829:The UK Stock Market Almanac
586:The UK Stock Market Almanac
364:Cavaghan & Gray Seafood
1318:
1017:. BBC News. 24 August 2006
1239:. BBC News. 24 March 2005
314:volatile commodity prices
26:
1191:. London. Archived from
1070:"Northern Foods Reports"
289:’s chilled business and
59:1937 as Northern Dairies
966:. BBC News. 31 May 2006
174:, with creating the UK
414:Green Isle Food Groups
219:, which he sold on to
205:Holme on Spalding Moor
1173:BBC News, 27 May 2009
689:Company-histories.com
411:George Payne & Co
329:London Stock Exchange
164:London Stock Exchange
1217:. BBC. 22 April 2010
1150:Notiziando.code.blog
615:"Northern Foods plc"
540:on 27 September 2011
528:"Annual Report 2009"
373:Dorset Chilled Foods
228:Milk Marketing Board
105:£52.7 million (2009)
93:975.2 million (2009)
81:Ranjit Singh Boparan
250:Marks & Spencer
236:Marks & Spencer
232:Christopher Haskins
180:Christopher Haskins
172:Marks & Spencer
123:Number of employees
117:£2.5 million (2009)
23:
22:Northern Foods Ltd.
1126:. 17 November 2010
913:. 13 February 2000
831:. 24 February 2014
805:. 25 February 2015
787:. 23 January 2004.
744:corporatewatch.org
588:. 24 February 2015
463:Smiths Flour Mills
361:Baxters Food Group
995:. 26 January 2007
911:Theguardian.co.uk
861:. 28 March 2003.
769:. 26 August 2001.
562:. Companies House
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1195:on 21 April 2013
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1152:. 7 October 2020
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533:. Archived from
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438:NFT Distribution
421:Gunstones Bakery
351:
346:Owned properties
213:Nicholas Horsley
138:Boparan Holdings
100:Operating income
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270:Express Dairies
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17:
12:
11:
5:
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1282:Northern Foods
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209:public company
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168:FTSE 100 Index
156:Northern Foods
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1241:. Retrieved
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1197:. Retrieved
1193:the original
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867:. Retrieved
856:
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833:. Retrieved
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802:
793:
785:The Guardian
784:
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767:Sunday Times
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748:. Retrieved
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692:. Retrieved
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622:. Retrieved
618:
590:. Retrieved
585:
576:
564:. Retrieved
554:
542:. Retrieved
535:the original
503:
472:
466:Solway Foods
454:R&K Wise
382:Emile Tissot
333:
326:
318:
302:
298:Philip Green
295:
284:
281:21st century
266:
254:Hull Brewery
247:
240:
225:
201:Alec Horsley
198:
195:20th century
176:Chilled Food
155:
154:
145:Subsidiaries
127:9,890 (2009)
64:Headquarters
36:Company type
18:
1130:17 November
1104:13 February
1079:13 February
999:27 December
948:13 February
917:13 February
869:13 February
835:13 February
809:13 February
719:13 February
592:19 February
489:Palethorpes
340:Ferrero SpA
1276:Categories
1046:. London.
750:9 February
694:9 February
624:9 February
507:References
469:Vanderheul
441:Park Cakes
429:Kara Foods
262:Pork Farms
112:Net income
76:Key people
1199:5 October
1156:7 October
566:7 October
376:Eden Vale
338:brand to
322:Greencore
275:Arla Amba
217:Mr Whippy
186:company.
184:2 Sisters
160:Wakefield
70:, England
68:Wakefield
1267:History
1243:28 April
1221:22 April
1054:28 April
1048:Archived
1021:28 April
970:28 April
891:28 April
863:Archived
803:Munchies
544:21 March
432:Lacemont
310:Ginsters
243:Grantham
46:Industry
451:Pyewipe
357:Bowyers
190:History
87:Revenue
56:Founded
40:Private
647:Ft.com
493:
482:Former
473:
133:Parent
714:(PDF)
538:(PDF)
531:(PDF)
305:Heinz
291:Shell
287:Tesco
1245:2008
1223:2010
1201:2008
1158:2020
1132:2010
1106:2018
1081:2018
1056:2008
1023:2008
1001:2010
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950:2018
919:2018
893:2008
871:2018
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752:2018
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696:2018
626:2018
594:2018
568:2020
546:2010
50:Food
460:Ski
256:),
1278::
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
