United Biscuits

United Biscuits(UB) is a Britishmultinationalfood manufacturer, makers ofMcVitie'sbiscuits,Jacob'sCream Crackers, andTwiglets. The company was listed on theLondon Stock Exchangeand was once a constituent of theFTSE 100 Index. In November 2014, the company was acquired byYıldız Holdingand is now part ofPladis.
United Biscuits manufactures in a number of countries across Europe, such as the Netherlands, France and Belgium. It also has a manufacturing site in India. The company'sheadquartersis inChiswick Business Parkin west London.
United Biscuits (UB) was formed in 1948 by a merger of two Scottish family businesses:McVitie & Priceand MacFarlane Lang.In 1962, United Biscuits acquiredWilliam Crawford & Sons, a Scottish baker founded inLeithin 1813, for £6 million.In 1965, the company also acquired William MacDonald & Sons for £2.8 million, and brought the Penguin brand to the group.
The company was listed on theLondon Stock Exchangeas United Biscuits plc on 27 July 1948.
In 1972, United Biscuits acquiredCarr's of Carlisle, makers ofTable Water biscuits, fromJames Goldsmith'sCavenham Foodsfor £2.75 million.Two years later, in 1974, it acquired the US-basedKeebler Companyfor $53 million. It also owned theWimpy Barfast food restaurant chain between 1977 and 1989, before selling it off toBurger King.
United Biscuits acquired the frozen food companyRoss Young'sfromHansonin 1988 for £335 million.
It sold Keebler for $500 million in 1995 after giving up efforts to break into the American market.In 1998PepsiCopurchasedSmith's Snackfood Companyfrom United Biscuits.
United Biscuits was de-listed from the London Stock Exchange and acquired in May 2000 by Finalrealm, a consortium of financial investors, as well asNabiscoHoldings Corporation. As part of the transaction, UB acquired Nabisco's European businessesand divested several parts of its international business inScandinavia,continental Europe, Asia (Keebler Malaysia and Singapore), several brands includingTUCand 70% shareholding inFazerKeksit (Biscuit) in Finland toGroupe Danoneand Far East (China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) to Nabisco.The company soldYoung's Bluecrestin 2001, in order to concentrate on the sweet biscuit sector.In September 2004, United Biscuits bought the UK portion ofGroupe Danone's Jacob's Biscuit Group for £240 million, including Cream Crackers and Twiglets.In July 2006, the company sold its Southern European biscuits business toKraft Foods, which in turn left the owner syndicate.
In October 2006,MidOcean Partnerssold the company to a consortium made up of theBlackstone GroupandPAI Partners.The deal was completed in December 2006.
In December 2012, UB agreed the sale of itsKP Snacksbusiness toIntersnackfor £500 million.On 3 November 2014, private equity funds managed byBlackstoneandPAI Partnersannounced the sale of United Biscuits toYıldız Holding.
The core of the business is in the United Kingdom, where it produces biscuits under a number of brand names, including:McVitie'sbiscuits andJacob'sCream Crackers.
The company manufactures in a number of countries across Europe, such as the Netherlands, France and Belgium. It also has a manufacturing site in India.
The company'sheadquartersis inChiswick Business Parkin west London. The company's main UK distribution centre is atAshby-de-la-Zouch.
TheUnited Biscuits Network, a closed-circuit radio network serving their factories across the UK which was active from 1970 to 1979, spawned the career of UK radio presenterSteve Allenand TV and radio personalityDale Winton.
In his 2009 bookThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work,Alain de Bottonchronicles his tour and brief experiences with employees of United Biscuits as they launched the "Moments" biscuit line.