2 Sisters Food Group is a privately owned food manufacturing company based in Wakefield, England. Established in 1993 by entrepreneur Ranjit Singh Boparan, as a frozen retail poultry cutting operation, it covers 36 manufacturing sites in the UK, six in the Netherlands, one in Ireland and one in Poland. Primarily a private label manufacturer for retailer and food service markets, the acquisition of Northern Foods in 2011 gave the Group ownership of brands including Fox's Biscuits, Goodfella's Pizza, Holland's Pies, and Matthew Walker Christmas Puddings. It is the largest food company in the UK by turnover. The group employs 18,000 people, with annual sales of £3billion. It is listed 9th on the 2017 Sunday Times Top Track 100. On 6 December 2017, the Group announced its full year results. Sales were £3.28bn, with like-for-like operating profit of £64.5m. The Group reported profit after exceptional items, before interest and tax of £22.8m, against £63.4m profit the previous year. However, after exceptional items, interest and tax, losses for the year stood at £37.7m, against a loss of £1.4m the previous year. LTM EBITDA for the year was £161.2m In December 2013, the company was ranked as Britain's 4th Most Admired Company in the Management Today Most Admired Company list, voted for by its industry peers. In January 2018, 2 Sisters reached agreement with Nomad Foods on the sale of its Goodfellas Pizza brand for £200m.
History
In November 2000 the sites at Scunthorpe and Flixton were acquired. These were significant acquisitions as it meant the group would move from a poultry meat cutting operation to a primary producer. In September 2005 the group purchased Haughley Park near Stowmarket, allowing the business to manufacture cooked and breaded poultry. In June 2007 the group made four acquisitions – including Joseph Mitchell of Forfar; Challenger Foods of Sunderland, where 400,000 chicken fillets per week are prepared for sandwich and pizza market; and the Tulip facility in Morecambe. In January 2008 the group bought Devon poultry firm Lloyd Maunder. In April 2010 the group announced the agreed acquisition of Dutch-based chicken processor Storteboom Group, with facilities in the Netherlands and Poland. In January 2011 the group announced it was to buy Northern Foods PLC in a deal worth £342m. Then, in December 2011 Premier Foods sold its Brookes Avana business, combining RF Brookes chilled foods and Avana Bakeries, to 2 Sisters for £30m. In March 2013 the group announced the acquisition of the UK arm of Dutch poultry and red meat company VION. By August 2014 the business announced it was selling its Avana Bakeries cake business in Newport and its salads business Solway Foods in Corby, Northamptonshire and then in January 2018 the business announced it was selling its Goodfellas pizza business to Nomad Foods. In February 2018 Ranjit Singh Boparan announced he was stepping up into the role of President of parent companyBoparan Holdings Limited and in May 2018, Ronald Kers was appointed CEO of 2 Sisters Food Group.
Sustainability
In December 2014, the business signed a major contract with Liverpool-based H2 Energy for the installation of bio-refineries at ten 2 Sisters factories to convert product waste into energy. The company claims the deal – which will eventually encompass all its manufacturing sites in the UK – will deliver 35,000 tonnes of carbon savings, 20,000 fewer lorry journeys a year and a significant electric and thermal energy boost, reducing its non-transport carbon footprint by 10%.
Food hygiene
2014
In August 2014, an undercover investigation into high levels of the food poisoning bacteria campylobacter in food in the UK allegedly showed raw chicken, contaminated by being dropped on the factory floor, being returned to the production line at one factory. The company strongly disputed this claim, pointing out the footage did not prove the chicken entered the human food chain. The Food Standards Agency initially cleared the factory of any wrongdoing but then admitted a breach of regulations had occurred though the company was not fined. In November 2014, 2 Sisters claimed to have launched the most comprehensive programme in the poultry industry to reduce campylobacter levels. The initiative, claimed to be costing £10m, would encompass the entire supply chain from farm through to consumer, using a variety of interventions including blast surface chilling and 'no touch' packaging.
2017
In September 2017, an undercover investigation filmed workers allegedly changing the slaughter dates – and hence the sell-by dates – at a 2 Sisters plant in West Bromwich. The company strenuously denied the allegations. Within days, management at the plant decided to suspend production. The subsequent Food Standards Agency investigation report, published 2 March 2018, cleared the business of any serious non-compliances. The CEO of the FSA, Jason Feeney, said: "Our investigation found some areas for improvement but the issues were resolved promptly by the company, who co-operated fully, and at no point did we find it necessary to take formal enforcement action"
