What Princes does

Princes Group plc is a UK-listed branded packaged food and beverage manufacturer, distributor and co-packer headquartered at Liverpool's Royal Liver Building, with 23 production facilities across the UK, continental Europe (Italy, France, Germany, Poland) and Mauritius and approximately 7,800 employees. The company sells a multi-category portfolio spanning canned tuna (Mauritius-sourced and processed), canned ambient foods (baked beans, soups, pulses, pasta, vegetables), pasta (Italian brands Napolina and Delverde plus German pasta production in Mannheim), edible oils (UK's largest retail oils producer at Erith and Belvedere), soft drinks (Jucee squash, co-packed Capri-Sun), ambient ready meals and home baking, and infant & nutrition products (Plasmon, Ozzano Taro). Its revenue model is B2B sales-led: Princes supplies owned brands (Princes, Napolina, Crisp 'N Dry, Jucee, Delverde, Crosse & Blackwell, Shippam's, Cookeen, Trex, Mazola), licensed brands (Flora and Olivio from Unilever, Batchelors from Premier Foods, Branston from Mizkan) and acquired brands (Plasmon from Kraft Heinz) to major UK and European grocery retailers (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Co-op, Aldi named), foodservice/HoReCa operators, and international distributors across more than 60 countries, alongside a private-label/co-packing business serving owners of major global food brands. Following its October 2025 IPO on the London Stock Exchange at a ~£1.2bn valuation (raising £400m), the group has used proceeds to fund acquisitions — most notably Plasmon from Kraft Heinz for €124.3m (effective January 2026) — to consolidate its infant nutrition vertical and broaden its Italian supply chain. Reporting FY2024 revenue of £2.1bn and Q1 2026 revenue of £506.6m (up 5.9% YoY) with adjusted EBITDA up 17% to £38.2m, Princes is currently in a leadership transition with CEO Simon Harrison departing 30 June 2026 and CCO Giuseppe Mastrolia appointed interim CEO pending a formal succession process.

Name

Princes

Legal name

Princes Group plc

Website

https://princesgroup.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1880

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Princes Group plc is a UK-listed branded packaged food and beverage manufacturer and co-packer operating 23 production sites across the UK, continental Europe and Mauritius, serving major retailers (Tesco, Sainsbury's), foodservice operators and 60+ international markets with a multi-category portfolio spanning tuna, pasta, oils, soft drinks, baby food and ready meals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Packaged Food Manufacturing

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Other Food Manufacturing (3119)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Beverages (2080), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Label Beverage Manufacturing (Retail/Brand-Owned Formulations) (AFAFAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Starches, Flours & Milling Products Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAH)

Keywords

• Canned food manufacturing
• Seafood processing
• Pasta production
• Edible oils
• Private label supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices22 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food and beverage manufacturing and sales: Manufactures and sells branded food and beverage products across multiple categories (tuna, pasta, oils, soft drinks, baby food, canned foods, baked goods). Also provides co-packing and private-label/own-brand supply services to retailers. Revenue from product sales to retail and foodservice customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Princes Group plc manufactures, imports and distributes a diverse portfolio of branded, licensed and private-label food and beverage products across canned tuna, canned foods, pasta, edible oils, soft drinks, baby food, ready meals and baked goods. Operating 23 production facilities across the UK, continental Europe and Mauritius, the company supplies major retailers, foodservice operators and international distributors under owned brands (Princes, Napolina, Delverde, Jucee, Crisp 'N Dry, Plasmon), licensed brands (Flora, Branston, Batchelors, Olivio) and private-label/co-packing contracts.

Product overview

Princes Group plc is a UK-listed food and drink company offering a diverse portfolio of owned, licensed, and acquired brands. The core offering includes canned tuna (produced in Mauritius), canned foods (baked beans, vegetables, pulses), pasta (Italian brands including Napolina, Delverde), edible oils (Crisp 'N Dry, Mazola), soft drinks (Jucee squash, co-packed Capri-Sun), baby food (Plasmon), and preserves (Crosse & Blackwell, Shippam's). Brands operate under a platform model with owned brands (Princes, Napolina, Jucee), licensed brands (Flora, Olivio, Branston, Batchelors), and acquired brands (Plasmon). The company operates 23 production facilities across the UK, continental Europe, and Mauritius, producing over 500 million cans annually at UK sites alone, with capabilities spanning canned foods, pasta, oils, soft drinks, baby food, and baked goods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Princes: Core brand for tinned tuna and food products
• Napolina
• Branston
• Batchelors
• Flora
• Crisp 'N Dry
• Jucee
• Delverde
• Plasmon

Products and services

• Princes (Core Brand) Canned Tuna and Food Products The primary Princes branded range of tinned tuna and ambient food products sold through UK and European retailers, including MSC-certified Chilean mackerel.
• Napolina Pasta Italian pasta brand producing a wide range of pasta shapes and formats from Italian production facilities for UK and European retail.
• Delverde Premium Pasta Premium dry pasta brand manufactured at the Fara San Martino site in Italy, producing around 15,000 tonnes of pasta annually using pure spring water and slow-drying methods.
• Branston (Pickles and Sauces, Licensed) Pickle and sauce brand manufactured under licence from Mizkan Europe Limited and sold through UK grocery retailers.
• Batchelors (Canned Foods, Licensed) Canned food brand including baked beans and convenience foods, produced under licence from Premier Foods Group Limited.
• Flora (Spreads, Licensed) Plant-based spread brand bottled at the Erith facility under licence from Unilever.
• Crisp 'N Dry Cooking Oils Own-brand cooking oil range, predominantly sunflower and vegetable oils, bottled at the Erith facility which supplies over 100 million litres annually.
• Olive and Specialty Oils (Belvedere) Olive oil and specialty oils (including balsamic vinegar and soy sauce packing capability) produced at the Belvedere site.
• Jucee Fruit Squash Range of fruit squashes produced at the Bradford facility as part of Princes' soft drinks portfolio.
• Customer Own-Brand Canned Soft Drinks (Glasgow) Private-label canned soft drinks manufactured at the Glasgow site for retailer own-brand customers across the UK.
• Capri-Sun Co-Packed Juice Pouches Co-packing service for Capri-Sun juice pouches produced at the Bradford facility, generating over 250 million pouches per year for the Great Britain and Ireland market.
• Canned Foods Production (Long Sutton) Largest UK food manufacturing site, producing over 500 million cans annually including baked beans, vegetables, fruit, pulses, pasta and meatballs for retail and own-brand customers.
• Canned and Pouch Products (Wisbech) Canned and pouch food products including baked beans, soups, pulses, pasta, vegetables and sauces, produced at the Wisbech facility.
• Ambient and Chilled Fruit Juice (Cardiff) Centre of excellence for ambient, chilled and mini fruit juice, producing over 200 products across multiple pack formats for retailers.
• Ambient Ready Meals (Consett) Specialist centre producing ambient ready meals including gravy, stock, sauces, custard and soup in flexible packaging for retail and foodservice customers.
• Home Baking and Snacking (Leeds) Home baking and snacking product range covering soup, packet sauces, mash, gravy and stuffing, produced at the Cross Green facility in Leeds.
• Tomato Products (Foggia) Industrial-scale tomato processing producing passata, purees and tomato-based ingredients at the Foggia facility, processing around 300,000 tonnes of fresh tomatoes annually.
• Infant and Nutrition Products (Ozzano Taro) Infant cereals, biscuits, UHT infant formula, gluten-free and low-protein dietary products manufactured at the Ozzano Taro facility in Italy.
• Plasmon Baby Food Italian baby food specialist brand acquired from Kraft Heinz, offering infant and baby food products produced at the Latina production site in Italy.
• Princes Tuna (Mauritius) Premium canned tuna processed at the Riche Terre and Marine Road sites in Mauritius, supplying retail and foodservice customers globally with combined daily raw tuna capacity of 460 metric tonnes.
• Own-Brand and Co-Packing Supply Services B2B contract manufacturing service offering retailers own-brand/private-label production, food-to-go packing, and co-packing partnerships across the group's manufacturing network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved 100% MSC-certified tuna sourcing, transforming UK sustainable seafood supply
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kraft HeinzcoreOthers · 1 January 2026Acquired Plasmon baby food brand from Kraft Heinz for €124.3 million, effective 1 January 2026. Transaction reunites Plasmon with Princes' Ozzano Taro facility acquired from Kraft Heinz in 2015. Includes co-packing agreement to continue producing Heinz Baby Food for UK market.
• Capri-SuncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Strategic manufacturing partnership where Princes Bradford produces over 250 million Capri-Sun juice pouches annually for Great Britain and Ireland. The partnership includes four production lines at Bradford, creating 50 new jobs. Capri-Sun is the world's number one kids drink brand.
• ColdiretticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to strengthen '100% Made in Italy' tomato supply chain sustainability. Expands existing collaboration to protect and support Italian tomato farmers through pre-harvest supply contracts and ethical sourcing initiatives.
• OxfamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to protect workers' rights in the Italian tomato supply chain. Addresses labor practices and supports ethical supply chain standards.
• ADM (Archer Daniels Midland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership under Edible Oils Limited for rapeseed and sunflower oil operations at the Szamotuły site in Poland. ADM provides crushing and refining capabilities complementing Princes' bottling and distribution operations.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Premier Foods plc: UK-listed ambient food manufacturer owning Batchelors (which Princes licenses inbound), along with Mr Kipling, Ambrosia, Oxo, and Bisto. Directly comparable in product categories (canned, ambient, sweet), retail customer mix, and private-label/co-packing exposure.
• Bakkavor Group plc: UK-listed fresh prepared food manufacturer serving major retailers and foodservice across categories including meals, salads, desserts, and bread. Highly comparable B2B food manufacturing model, similar retail customer concentration, and similar scale (~£2bn revenue).
• Greencore Group plc: UK and US convenience food manufacturer focused on sandwiches, salads, and chilled ready meals for major grocery and foodservice customers. Comparable in B2B food manufacturing model, retail customer mix, and category exposure (though more chilled/convenience vs Princes' ambient).
• Nomad Foods Limited: Europe's largest frozen food company (Birds Eye, Iglo, Findus) with similar B2B retail model, multi-country production footprint, and branded + private-label exposure. Directly comparable in packaged food manufacturing scale and category breadth.
• Thai Union Group PCL: World's largest canned tuna company (Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire) and seafood manufacturer. Closest direct competitor in Princes' core tuna category, with comparable global manufacturing, sustainability commitments, and retailer relationships.
• Barilla Group: World's largest pasta manufacturer and Italian food group, headquartered near Princes' Italian pasta operations. Direct competitor in dry pasta, sauces, and bakery categories, with overlapping Italian production footprint and export markets.
• Bolton Group: Italian-owned international food and consumer goods group with major Italian tuna brand Rio Mare, plus pasta and seafood categories. Closely comparable in Italian food manufacturing, tuna/canned seafood focus, and family-owned international expansion playbook.

Broad incumbents

• Associated British Foods plc: Diversified UK-listed food, ingredients, and retail group (Twinings, Kingsmill, Patak's, Primark) with global operations. Comparable in UK food manufacturing scale, multi-category branded portfolio, and international footprint, though far larger and more diversified.
• Unilever PLC: Global CPG giant that licenses Flora and Olivio brands to Princes. Comparable in UK ambient/spreads category scale and retailer relationships, though vastly larger and more diversified globally.

Emerging players

• Century Pacific Food, Inc. Philippines-listed branded canned seafood and food manufacturer (Argentina, 555, Swift) with global tuna supply. Comparable in canned tuna and ambient food manufacturing, though primarily Asia-Pacific focused and smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Princes