What Bakkavor does

Bakkavor Group plc is a UK-headquartered fresh prepared food manufacturer, founded in 1986, that produces convenience foods — including ready meals, salads, desserts, pizza, bread, and dips — for major British supermarket retailers. Pre-acquisition, the company operated 31 manufacturing sites in the UK and US with approximately 14,900 employees, supplied Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury's, and Waitrose as the number-one private-label producer across multiple categories, and distributed through a 17-depot direct-to-store network delivering fresh and frozen product daily. Its core operating technology is a just-in-time manufacturing model running 24/7, 364 days a year, designed for the freshness, shelf-life, and replenishment cadence demanded by private-label retail contracts.

The company monetises through B2B private-label food manufacturing contracts with major UK supermarket chains under their own retailer brands, generating revenue via unit sales of manufactured product rather than direct consumer marketing. Specific contract pricing tiers are not publicly disclosed. Bakkavor expanded its branded footprint in May 2024 by acquiring Moorish Ltd, a UK hummus brand distributed through major supermarkets and independent retailers. In January 2026, Greencore Group plc completed a £1.2 billion acquisition of Bakkavor, taking the company private and creating a combined UK convenience food group with approximately £4 billion in combined revenue, 28,000+ employees, 36 manufacturing sites, and 21 distribution depots; the transaction required divestiture of Greencore's Bristol sauces and soups factory as a CMA antitrust remedy.

Name

Bakkavor

Legal name

Bakkavor Group plc

Website

https://bakkavor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Bakkavor is a UK-based fresh prepared food manufacturer producing private-label meals, salads, desserts, pizza, bread, and dips for major supermarkets including Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury's, and Waitrose, operating just-in-time across 31 sites before its January 2026 £1.2bn acquisition by Greencore.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Prepared Food Manufacturing

NAICS

Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing (311991), Food Manufacturing (311), Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing (3118), Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181), Frozen Cakes, Pies, and Other Pastries Manufacturing (311813)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Bakery Products (2050), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Cold Prepared Foods & Meal Components (Sides, Proteins, Family Meals) (CRAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Fresh prepared foods
• Private label manufacturing
• Convenience food production
• Ready meal manufacturing
• Chilled food processing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Private-label food manufacturing: Manufactures fresh prepared foods for major UK supermarket chains under their private label brands. Products include ready meals, salads, desserts, pizza, bread, and hummus. Revenue is generated through product sales to retail customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Bakkavor manufactures fresh prepared convenience foods, including ready meals, salads, desserts, pizza, bread, hummus, and dips, primarily as private-label products for major UK supermarket chains such as Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury's, and Waitrose. The company operates 31 manufacturing sites across the UK and US under a just-in-time production model running 24/7, 364 days a year, distributing via a direct-to-store network of 17 UK depots.

Product overview

Bakkavor is a fresh prepared food company (now part of Greencore following the £1.2 billion acquisition completed January 2026) offering a unified convenience food portfolio. The product offering centers on fresh prepared foods including meals, salads, desserts, pizza, bread, and dips produced across 31 UK and US manufacturing sites for major retailers including Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury's and Waitrose. The portfolio was expanded through the May 2024 acquisition of the Moorish hummus brand. Combined revenues reached approximately £4 billion in FY25.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Moorish: UK hummus brand distributed across major supermarkets and independent retailers, acquired by Bakkavor in May 2024.

Products and services

• Fresh Prepared Foods (Meals, Salads, Desserts, Pizza, Bread, Dips) Comprehensive range of private-label fresh prepared convenience foods manufactured across 31 UK and US sites, including ready meals, salads, desserts, pizza, bread, and dips supplied under long-term contracts to major UK supermarket chains such as Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury's, and Waitrose.
• Moorish Hummus Brand UK hummus brand founded in 2012 and acquired by Bakkavor in May 2024, distributed across major UK supermarkets and independent retailers, with the acquisition aimed at expanding the brand's product range and market presence under Bakkavor ownership.
• Convenience Food Portfolio (Multi-Occasion Range) Complete convenience food portfolio covering every meal occasion from breakfast through to dinner and dessert, including ready meals, salads, desserts, pizza, bread, and accompaniments supplied to UK retailers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Number one producer of meals, salads, desserts, pizza and bread for Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury's and Waitrose

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Greencore Group plccoreOthers · 1 January 2026Greencore Group plc completed its acquisition of Bakkavor Group plc in January 2026, creating a combined convenience food group with approximately £4 billion in revenues. The £1.2 billion deal was approved by the CMA following remedies involving the sale of Greencore's Bristol sauces and soups factory.
• Moorish LtdminorOthers · 1 May 2024Bakkavor acquired Moorish Ltd, a UK hummus brand founded in 2012 and distributed through major UK supermarkets and independent retailers. The acquisition aimed to expand Moorish's product range and market presence under Bakkavor.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Reser's Fine Foods: US-based private-label fresh prepared food manufacturer producing salads, meals, and sides for major US retailers. Closest US analogue to Bakkavor's fresh prepared B2B model and most relevant competitor in the US market where Bakkavor has operated for over a decade.
• 2 Sisters Food Group: Private UK food manufacturer supplying retailer-brand chilled, frozen, and ambient convenience products across bakery, ready meals, and poultry. Highly comparable B2B private-label convenience food model serving the same major UK supermarket customers.
• Cranswick plc: UK food producer with a significant primary and added-value prepared foods business serving major grocers. Directly comparable to Bakkavor's fresh prepared and convenience food manufacturing footprint in the UK retail channel.
• Greencore Group plc: Irish-domiciled convenience food manufacturer and now Bakkavor's parent company following the January 2026 £1.2bn acquisition. Operates a comparable UK private-label convenience food platform across ready meals, sandwiches, and salads for the same major supermarket customers.
• Taylor Fresh Foods: US leader in fresh packaged salads and prepared fresh foods, including value-added meals and vegetable trays. Direct US fresh prepared food peer with overlapping categories (salads, prepared vegetables, fresh meals) and similar B2B retailer supply model.

Broad incumbents

• McCain Foods Limited: Global frozen food manufacturer with a strong UK frozen prepared food and potato footprint (including pizza and bakery-adjacent lines). Overlaps with Bakkavor's frozen pizza and bakery businesses, though predominantly frozen rather than chilled-led.
• Premier Foods plc: UK packaged food manufacturer with branded grocery ranges and growing private-label exposure. Operates at scale across ambient and convenience categories, broadly overlapping Bakkavor's UK retailer supply relationships, though more brand-led.
• Nomad Foods Ltd: European frozen food manufacturer (Birds Eye, Findus, Iglo) with category overlap into prepared meals and adjacent frozen bakery. Comparable convenience food manufacturer serving major European retailers, though frozen rather than chilled-led.
• Hilton Food Group plc: UK-listed food packaging business partnering with retailers on protein and convenience categories. Comparable retailer-aligned manufacturing model, though anchored in meat/seafood rather than fresh prepared meals and salads.
• Kerry Group plc: Irish global taste and nutrition group serving food manufacturers and foodservice customers. Comparable B2B convenience and prepared-foods supplier at scale, though focused on ingredients and taste systems rather than finished fresh meals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bakkavor
• Facebookfacebook.com/bakkavor
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bakkavor
• Instagraminstagram.com/greencore_group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A13 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bakkavor