United Biscuits Topco Limited is one of UK’s leading biscuit makers. The company has its headquarters in London, England.

History

United Biscuits’ history started in 1948 with the merger of Scottish businesses MacFarlane Lang and McVitie and Price. In 1960, the company was able to acquire two biscuit companies, MacDonald’s Biscuits and Crawford’s Biscuits.

In 1967, United Biscuits was able to acquire British company Meredith and Drew. A year after, United acquired Kenyon Son and Craven, one of the country’s nut producers. In the succeeding years, the company continued to expand its operations through several more acquisitions. Among the companies that United Biscuits was able to acquire include Keebler Company, Ross Young’s and Verkade.

In 1991, United Biscuits placed investments on three of Europe’s biscuit manufacturers: Oxford Biscuits in Denmark, Gyori Keksz in Hungary and Fazer Biscuits in Finland. In 1999, the company’s seafood business merged with Legal and General Ventures Bluecrest, creating UK’s biggest seafood business.

The company also had its share of divestitures. In 1993, Kraft Suchard acquired Terry’s of York from United Biscuits. Two years after, another of UB’s companies, Kebbler Company, was also sold to several buyers. The company also sold its seafood businesses to different companies in the later part of the 1990s.

In 2000, a group of investors, FinalRealm, acquired United Biscuits and it became a private limited company. In the same year, several of the company’s subsidiaries were sold to different companies including Danone. In the following year, the company continued to divest itself of several more subsidiaries. In December of 2006, the company was sold again and was purchased jointly by PAI and The Blackstone Group.

Currently, both PAI and The Blackstone Group own United Biscuits. United Biscuits has become one of the country’s leaders when it comes to biscuit products. The company’s brands are one of the most popular in all of UK. In fact, United Biscuits’ McVities brand sells more than 50 million packs every year. Aside from its own retail brands, United Biscuits also produces products for private label companies, as well as snack products for food retail businesses. Aside from its operations in the United Kingdom, the company has also expanded to the markets in Western Europe.

Headquarters: London,England
Ownership Type: Private
Employees: 8,477
Geography: U.K.,Western Europe
Demography: biscuits consumers

Brands

McVitie’s, Twiglets, Hula Loops, Go ahead!, Skips, Mini Cheddars, KP, McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes, Verkade, Jacob’s, Phileas Fogg, BN, Sultana, Penguin, McCoy’s, Carr’s, Delacre

Important links

United Biscuits Corporate Home Page
United Biscuits Products
Jobs and Careers
Contact Information