Princes Group is an international food and drink group involved in the manufacture, import and distribution of branded and customer own-brand products. Founded in 1880 and headquartered in the UK, and recently acquired by Newlat Food S.p.A.

History

Princes’ heritage dates back to 1880, when it was established as a fish importing business in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, the city where its international headquarters are still located today. The firm was founded as a partnership by Briton William Muirhead Simpson (1842–1926) and Canadian Frank Roberts (1853–1938) and initially imported tinned

lobster Lobsters are Malacostraca, malacostracans Decapoda, decapod crustaceans of the family (biology), family Nephropidae or its Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on th ...

from Canada. It operated as Simpson Roberts, then created brands including Maypole (1891), Mikado (1895) and Princes (1900). By 1915, Simpson Roberts was the world's largest exporter of lobster, handling one third of the world's lobster trade. In 1919, the partnership was incorporated as a limited company. In 1962, it changed its name to Princes Foods. Princes first entered continental Europe in 1960 and today its European operations are managed from its offices in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

in the Netherlands. In 1964, Princes was acquired by 'Trex' manufacturer J Bibby & Sons. In 1973, the combined business was sold to Italy's

Buitoni Buitoni () is an Italian food company based in Sansepolcro. It was founded in 1827. They are known for their factory-produced products of pasta and sauces. In 1985, the Buitoni family sold the company to Carlo De Benedetti; in 1988, it was acqu ...

group, which, in 1988 was acquired by

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. ( ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It has been the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since 20 ...

, with Princes then sold to

Mitsubishi Corporation is a Japanese general trading company ( ''sogo shosha'') and a core member of the Mitsubishi Group. For much of the post-war period, Mitsubishi Corporation has been the largest of the five great ''sogo shosha'' (Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Itochu, S ...

in 1989. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi, Princes completed several high-profile mergers and acquisitions that added significant scale to the business. After the 2011 acquisition of

Premier Foods Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The group owns many well-known brands, including Mr Kipling, Ambrosia (food), Ambrosia, Bird's Custard, Angel Delight, Homepride cooking sauces, J. Lyons ...

' canning operations for £182M, Princes was, by 2013, the UK's largest supplier of tinned food; by 2020, it employed 7,000 people globally, 2,200 of them in UK. However, in January 2023, Mitsubishi was reported to be considering selling the Princes Group, and in March 2023 potential buyers, including

Bain Capital Bain Capital, LP is an American Investment company, private investment firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, with around $185 billion of assets under management. It specializes in private equity, venture capital, credit, p ...

-backed

Valeo Foods Valeo Foods is an Irish multinational producer of branded food and beverage products. The company has a portfolio of over 50 international food brands which are sold across 90 countries globally, including Rowse Honey, Odlums, Batchelors, Jac ...

and the Aurelius Group investment firm, were reported to be considering bids of around £400M. From July 2024, Princes Group became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Newlat Foods, retaining its legal name ‘Princes Ltd’.

Timeline

* 1880 Founded in Liverpool by William Muirhead Simpson and Frank Roberts * 1900 Princes Pure Foods formed, Princes brand established * 1946 Princes starts first manufacturing venture * 1960 Princes enters continental Europe * 1968 Princes acquired by 'Trex' manufacturer J. Bibby and Sons * 1973 Princes sold to

Group * 1988 Buitoni Group, including Princes, acquired by

* 1989

buys Princes from Nestlé * 1991 Princes enters the soft drinks category through the acquisition of Barraclough * 1999 Princes acquires Tuna Mauritius * 2001 Princes acquires both the Shippam's and Napolina brands/businesses * 2004 Princes acquires water business and the Aqua Pura brand * 2005 Princes acquires cooking oils brands and forms Edible Oils Limited (EOL) joint venture business. Princes establishes MC Foods Europe * 2010 Princes opens Princes Polska office and forms joint venture business to expand distribution of oils in eastern and central Europe * 2011 Princes acquires two East Anglian canning operations and the

Crosse & Blackwell Crosse & Blackwell is an English food brand. The original company was established in London in 1706, then was acquired by Edmund Crosse and Thomas Blackwell in 1830. It became independent until it was acquired by Swiss Conglomerate (company), con ...

and Farrow's brands * 2012 Princes Industrie Alimentari S.r.L. (PIA) created and processing factory in

Foggia Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...

, Italy acquired * 2015 Princes Tuna (Mauritius) completes agreement to create enlarged tuna processing operation * 2018 Princes announces business review after net profits fall to £0.5m; in October 2018, Princes announces factories in Manchester and Chichester would close * 2024 Mitsubishi Corporation agree to sell to Italian-based Newlat Food S.p.A (‘Newlat’), encompassing all current operations and brands in an agreement valued at £700m. Announced in May, the purchase was completed two months later.

Operations

Princes' customers include major supermarkets, convenience stores, foodservice operators, wholesale suppliers and other food manufacturers. Its brands and products span over 20 different categories including fish, meat, fruit, vegetables, soups, pastes, pasta, cooking sauces, edible oils and a broad range of soft drinks sectors.

Owned and operated brands

Brands (*= licensed brands) which Princes manufacture and produce include: *

Batchelors Peas Batchelors is a popular brand of predominantly dried food products. The Batchelors company was founded in 1895 in Sheffield, England by William Batchelor, initially specialising in canned vegetables. It released its first dried soup in 1949, ...

* – a brand that dates back to 1895 with a range that includes canned soups and peas (under licence from

) * Branston Beans* – a brand well known for its store cupboard favourites such as baked beans and spaghetti in tomato sauce (under licence from

Mizkan is a Japanese company that produces vinegars (including seasoned rice vinegars, balsamic vinegars, and wine vinegars), mustards, salad dressings, authentic East Asian sauces, nattō, and other food products. It is based in Handa, Aichi Pre ...

) * Crisp 'n Dry – popular UK vegetable oil brand *

- canned food brand that includes favourites such as baked beans, soups, pasta, vegetables and ready meals * Farrow's – British-grown giant marrowfat processed peas * Flora* – popular sunflower oil brand * Jucee – popular squash drinks brand * Mazola - corn and speciality oil brand. Range includes corn, peanut, grapeseed, rapeseed and sunflower oils * Napolina - Italian-style ingredients brand. Range includes sun-ripened tomatoes to fruity olive oils, pasta and pasta sauces, as well as more specialist grated cheese, pulses and pizza products * Olivio* - cooking oil first launched in 1991, made with a blend of vegetable and olive oils * Princes – the Princes range now includes over 350 food and drink products including canned fish, meat, fruit and vegetables, microwavable ready meals, sandwich fillings and soft drinks * Trex – home baking brand which is a dairy-free alternative to butter * Vier Diamanten – popular Austrian canned fish brand * Wielkopolski – cooking oil used for frying, baking, salad dressings, and in cakes and desserts

Production sites

Princes operates 11 production sites situated in the UK, mainland Europe and Mauritius:

UK food sites

* Long Sutton, Lincolnshire – this site produces a range of canned products including baked beans, vegetables, fruit, pulses, pies, pasta, meatballs and ready meals *

Wisbech Wisbech ( ) is a market town, inland port and civil parish in the Fenland District, Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bordering Norfolk and ...

– located in

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

, this site produces canned and pouch products including baked beans, soups, pulses, pasta, vegetables and sauces

UK soft drinks sites

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

– produces juice products in cartons *

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

– this site produces squash and carbonated soft drinks * Glasgow – supplies canned soft drinks

UK edible oils

Belvedere, London Belvedere is a town in south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies close to the River Thames, with Erith to the east, Bexleyheath to the south, and Abbey Wood and Thamesmead to the west. Before the creation of G ...

– located in south east London, this site produces olive and speciality oils *

Erith Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north ...

– located in south east London, this site produces cooking oil

International

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

– this factory is one of the most modern and efficient ambient tomato processing facilities in Europe * Riche Terre,

Port Louis Port Louis (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is admi ...

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

– one of the most technologically advanced tuna processing facilities in the world * Marine Road, Port Louis, Mauritius - a major processing facility producing tuna loins *

Szamotuły Szamotuły (, ) is a town in western Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship, about northwest of the centre of Poznań. It is the seat of Szamotuły County and of the smaller administrative district Gmina Szamotuły. The population was 19,090 in ...

, Poland – located in the north west region of

Wielkopolska Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...

, this site primarily produces rapeseed oil.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
Food and drink companies of the United Kingdom British companies established in 1880 Companies based in Liverpool 1880 establishments in England Mitsubishi companies Food and drink companies established in 1880 British subsidiaries of foreign companies 2024 mergers and acquisitions