HP Foods

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HP Foods
Type Private
Founded 1875 in Aston, Birmingham[1]
Founder Edwin Samson Moore
Headquarters Hayes, UK
Area served Europe
Industry Food
Products HP Sauce, Daddies sauces, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
Parent H. J. Heinz Company
Divisions HP Foods, Amoy Food UK, Lea & Perrins
Website www.hpfoods.com

HP Foods Limited, formerly based in Birmingham, United Kingdom is best known as the producer of HP, Lea & Perrins and Daddies sauce brands.[2] It is also the UK licensee of Chinese food and condiment brand, Amoy Food.[2][3]

Formerly the Midlands Vinegar Company[1] and Smedley HP Foods Limited, it was acquired by Imperial Foods, a division of Imperial Group. HP Foods Ltd was retained by Imperial's parent company Hanson plc even after the demerger of the Imperial Group. It was sold to Groupe Danone SA in 1988 for £199 million.[2] It was sold by Danone to Heinz in June 2005 for £470 million.[2] However, in October of that year the takeover was referred by the UK's Office of Fair Trading to the Competition Commission.[4] After a review the Competition Commission approved the takeover and Heinz started integrating this new company into the business.

In 2007, the iconic Aston, Birmingham factory was demolished, and production of HP and Daddies sauce brands was moved to the Netherlands.[5][6][1] Production of Worcestershire sauce was returned to Worcester.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c BBC News May 9, 2006 ‘Great British’ sauce heads abroad. Retrieved on March 12, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d BBC News Heinz buys HP sauce in £470m deal, June 20, 2005. Retrieved on March 11, 2008.
  3. ^ Amoy Food UK website, About Amoy, retrieved on March 11, 2008.
  4. ^ BBC NEWS | Business | Watchdogs probe HP sauce takeover
  5. ^ BBC News Staff told of HP factory closure, August 23, 2006. Retrieved on March 11, 2008.
  6. ^ BBC News Demolition of HP factory begins, July 2, 2007. Retrieved on March 11, 2008.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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