Danone Holdings (UK) Limited

What Danone Holdings (UK) Limited does

Danone Holdings (UK) Limited is the UK operating subsidiary of French multinational Danone S.A., serving as a regional headquarters based in London. The entity runs three core business lines in the United Kingdom: Essential Dairy & Plant-Based products, Waters, and Specialised Nutrition. Its product portfolio spans well-known consumer brands including Activia, Actimel, Alpro, Oykos, Light & Free, GetPRO, and Danone Skyr in dairy and plant-based; Evian, Volvic, and Harrogate Spring Water in bottled water; and Aptamil, Cow & Gate, and Nutricia in infant and medical nutrition. With 89% of products in healthy categories and a heritage of more than 100 years originating from yogurts sold in pharmacies, the business is positioned around health-led food and beverage consumption.

The company's go-to-market is sales-led and channel-driven, with products distributed through UK supermarkets, convenience stores, independent retailers, and pharmacy chains. Revenue is generated through one-time consumer product sales across the three divisions. Underlying product development is grounded in food science and ongoing microbiota research, with no disclosed AI/ML, software platform, or proprietary technology stack in the source data. The UK entity operates within the broader Renew Danone strategy, which is organized around three sustainability pillars: Health, Nature, and People & Communities, and the company holds B Corp certification.

As a wholly-owned subsidiary of publicly traded Danone S.A. (Euronext Paris), Danone Holdings (UK) Limited functions as a holding and operating vehicle for local brand management, partnerships, and compliance. UK-specific strategic activities include the Alpro British oats sourcing investment, the renewed FoodCycle partnership to address food poverty, the Well Grounded social impact partnership, and a Deposit Return Scheme recycling pilot with the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Revenue, headcount, and detailed financials for the UK entity specifically are not disclosed in the available source material, though global Danone operates in 120+ countries with approximately 90,000 employees worldwide.

Name

Danone Holdings (UK) Limited

Legal name

Danone Holdings (UK) Limited

Website

https://danone.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Danone Holdings (UK) Limited is the London-based UK subsidiary of Danone S.A., operating three UK business lines — Essential Dairy & Plant-Based products, Waters, and Specialised Nutrition — through brands such as Aptamil, Alpro, Evian, Volvic, and Nutricia sold via supermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Packaged Food and Beverages

NAICS

Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers (42421)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Refrigerated Dips & Spreads (Cream Cheese, Hummus, Salsa, Guacamole) (CRADACAG)

Keywords

• Dairy products
• Plant-based foods
• Bottled water
• Infant nutrition
• Specialised nutrition

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Product Sales: Danone generates revenue through the sale of essential dairy and plant-based products, waters, and specialised nutrition products. Products are sold through retail channels including supermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies globally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Danone Holdings (UK) Limited manufactures, markets, and distributes a portfolio of essential dairy and plant-based products, premium waters, and specialised nutrition products through brands such as Activia, Alpro, Evian, Volvic, Aptamil, Cow & Gate, and Nutricia across the United Kingdom via supermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies. The company operates as part of the global Danone group, with the UK entity focusing on local production, distribution, and brand management for its three core categories: Essential Dairy & Plant-Based products, Waters, and Specialised Nutrition.

Product overview

Danone Holdings (UK) Limited operates as a diversified food and beverage company with three core product categories: Essential Dairy & Plant-Based products (including Activia, Actimel, Alpro, Danone Skyr, Oykos, Light & Free, and GetPRO), Waters (Evian, Volvic, and Harrogate Spring Water), and Specialised Nutrition (Aptamil, Cow & Gate, and Nutricia). The portfolio covers the full lifecycle from infant nutrition through adult wellness, with 89% of products belonging to healthy categories. Products are sold across 120+ countries with approximately 90,000 employees worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Activia: Dairy yogurt brand focused on digestive wellness
• Alpro
• Actimel
• Oykos
• Light & Free
• GetPRO
• Danone Skyr
• Evian
• Volvic
• Harrogate Spring Water
• Aptamil
• Cow & Gate
• Nutricia

Products and services

• Alpro Plant-based dairy alternatives including oat, almond, coconut, soy, and rice-based drinks and yogurts, marketed under the Alpro brand for health-conscious consumers.
• Actimel Probiotic fermented dairy drink designed to support digestive health through beneficial bacterial cultures.
• Activia Probiotic yogurt range marketed for digestive health benefits through proprietary bacterial cultures.
• Danone Skyr Icelandic-style strained yogurt with high protein content, marketed as a protein-rich dairy option.
• Oykos Greek-style yogurt brand with lower calorie options, positioned as a healthy snacking alternative.
• Light & Free Light yogurt range with reduced fat and sugar content for weight management consumers.
• GetPRO Protein-enriched snack products positioned for active consumers and sports nutrition.
• Evian Premium natural spring water sourced from the Evian-les-Bains area in France, marketed for purity and mineral content.
• Volvic Natural mineral water from Volvic in France, marketed for its volcanic rock filtration and mineral balance.
• Harrogate Spring Water British-sourced spring water from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, positioned as a local premium water brand.
• Aptamil Premium infant formula and baby food products developed with scientific research for early life nutrition.
• Cow & Gate Infant formula and follow-on milk products positioned as accessible early life nutrition options.
• Nutricia Medical nutrition products for patients with specific dietary needs, including conditions requiring tube feeding and metabolic disorders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 89% of products sold belong to healthy categories
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FoodCyclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanone has renewed its UK partnership with FoodCycle, a charity that tackles food poverty and supports better health through improved nutrition. The partnership focuses on addressing food poverty and improving nutrition access in communities across the UK.
• Well GroundedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanone partners with Well Grounded, an organisation focused on creating positive social impact. The partnership aims to drive meaningful change through collaborative initiatives supporting communities.
• The All England Lawn Tennis ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanone partnered with The All England Lawn Tennis Club and Exchange for Change to pilot a Deposit Return Scheme recycling technology at The Championships Qualifying Competition, supporting sustainability initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Nestlé: The world's largest food and beverage company, directly competing with Danone across infant nutrition, dairy, plant-based, and bottled water (e.g., NAN, Cow & Gate competitor, Nespresso Waters, Carnation).
• Müller: UK-focused dairy and yogurt company with strong private-label and branded presence in yogurts and desserts, directly competing with Danone's Activia, Danone Skyr, and Light & Free ranges on UK supermarket shelves.
• FrieslandCampina: Dutch dairy cooperative with significant branded dairy, infant nutrition (Friso), and specialised nutrition businesses — directly comparable to Danone across dairy and nutrition categories.
• Abbott: Global healthcare and nutrition company with significant presence in infant formula (Similac) and medical nutrition that directly competes with Danone's Aptamil and Nutricia franchises.
• Arla Foods: International dairy cooperative with strong UK presence (e.g., Lurpak, Cravendale, Arla Protein), competing with Danone's Essential Dairy & Plant-Based products across yogurts, milk, and protein segments.
• Lactalis: World's largest dairy company and a private French-headquartered peer; competes directly with Danone in yogurt, cheese, and dairy ingredients across European and global markets.
• Oatly: Leading oat-based plant-based beverage and dairy alternative company; a direct challenger to Danone's Alpro brand within the UK plant-based segment and across retail channels.
• Reckitt Benckiser: Owns Mead Johnson Nutrition (Enfamil), a direct competitor to Danone's Aptamil in the global infant formula market, alongside other consumer health and nutrition brands.

Broad incumbents

• Yili Group: Asia's largest dairy company and one of the world's top dairy players by volume, competing broadly with Danone's dairy, infant formula, and plant-based categories across global markets.

Regional players

• Associated British Foods: UK-headquartered diversified food group (Twinings, Kingsmill, Primark-adjacent portfolio) with relevant UK food overlap and regional supermarket competition with Danone's brands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Danone
• YouTubeyoutube.com/Danone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/danone
• Instagraminstagram.com/lifeatdanone/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries8 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 Danone Holdings (UK) Limited