Share Price
31 Jul 2010
Delayed by 15 minutes

43.75p +2.00p

History

From early roots in the 19th century, Northern Foods formally began life in 1937 as a family-run dairy business.

In 1942 the business was registered as Northern Dairies and became a public company in 1956. The company changed its name to Northern Foods in 1972 to reflect the range of food it sold. In the late 1970s, in partnership with one of its customers, Northern Foods pioneered the development of the chilled ready meal and today we continue to be one of the UK's leading food producers, maintaining a flair for responding to changing consumer eating habits with innovative new food ideas.

1880

Northern Foods had its beginnings in Pape and Co. Ltd, a small condensed milk importing and wholesaling business in Hull

1937

Business started by Alec Horsley in Holme on Spalding Moor

1942

Business registered as Northern Dairies

1956

Northern Dairies becomes a public company

1972

Company changes name to Northern Foods plc
Acquired Park Cake Bakeries, Oldham and Smiths Flour Mills

1977

Acquired Fox's Biscuits

1978

Acquired Pork Farms

1981

Acquired Dorset Chilled Foods

1983

Opened Lenton Foods ready meals site

1985

Acquired Bowyers (Wiltshire) Ltd, Elkes Biscuits

1986

Acquired Batchelors

1987

Fenland Foods built in Grantham (Ready meals)

1988

Pennine Foods built in Sheffield (Ready meals)
Acquired Evesham Foods

1990

Acquired Palethorpes

1991

Acquired Park Cake Bakeries, Bolton, Trafford Park Bakery, Kara Foods and Grain D'Or, Express Dairies, Eden Vale

1992

Acquired 24% shareholding in Fletchers Bakery
Acquired Matthew Walker

1993

Acquired Vanderheul, Holland

1995

Acquired Green Isle Foods

1998

Acquired Cavaghan & Gray (Ready meals & Seafood)
Demerger of Express Dairies
Acquired George Payne & Co.
Closed Lenton Foods

1999

Acquired remaining stake in Fletchers Bakery
Acquired Pyewipe

2000

Acquired 40% stake in Solway Foods
Acquired R & K Wise

2001

Acquired Lacemont Ltd
Acquired Fox's Confectionery

2002

Sold Vanderheul
Sold Ski and Munch Bunch brands

2003

Acquired remaining 60% stake in Solway Foods
Sold Fox's Confectionery
Sold Batchelors

2004

Sold Emile Tissot
Sold Eden Vale
Sold Cavaghan & Gray Seafood to IFP Holdings
Pat O'Driscoll appointed as CEO (March)
Company initiates major change programme

2005

Corporate HQ moves to Leeds
Closure of Evesham Foods
Closure of London Road site at Cavaghan & Gray, Carlisle
Tony Hobson appointed as Chairman following 3 years as Deputy Chairman (July)
Jez Maiden appointed as Chief Finance Officer

2006

Stefan Barden appointed as Executive Director, Chilled division (February)
Northern Foods announces radical refocus of business and divestment programme, targeting disposal of its Chilled distribution, Flour milling, Cakes, Speciality bread and Chilled pastry businesses (May)
Sold NFT Distribution (August)
Closure of Green Isle Boyle site (September)
Closed Trafford Park Bakery (November)
Announced exchange of contracts for proposed sale of its Flour milling, Cakes, Speciality bread and Chilled pastry businesses (November)

2007

Completion of the sale of Speciality bread, Chilled pastry, Cakes and Flour milling to Vision Capital Limited (January)
With the radical refocusing of the business completed, Pat O'Driscoll steps down. Stefan Barden is appointed Chief Executive (February)
Acquisition of Ethnic Cuisine ready meals business announced (November)

2008

Acquired chilled soup manufacturing plant from Baxters (January)
Mothballed Fenland Foods ready meals site
Jez Maiden leaves to join National Express, Andy Booker appointed Group Finance Director (November)
Northern Foods secures contract to provide in-flight meals to British Airways

2009

Northern Foods appoints Group Technical Innovation Director (March)
Closure of Cavaghan & Gray, Hull site (October)

2010

Appointment of Simon Herrick as Group Finance Director (appointed 4th January)