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Kingsmill (bread)

Associated British Foods plc
Public limited company
Traded as
FTSE 100 Component
Industry Food processing
Retail
Founded 1935; 82 years ago (1935)
Headquarters London, W1
United Kingdom
Key people
Charles Sinclair (Chairman)
George G. Weston (CEO)
Products Food, ingredients
Services Retailing
Revenue £13,399 million (2016)
£1,089 million (2016)
Profit £821 million (2016)
Total assets $15.07 billion (2016)
Owner Wittington Investments, 54.5%
Number of employees
124,000 (2015)
Subsidiaries British Sugar
Primark
Website www.abf.co.uk

Associated British Foods plc (ABF) is a British multinational food processing and retailing company whose headquarters are in London, United Kingdom. Its ingredients division is the world's second-largest producer of both sugar and baker's yeast and a major producer of other ingredients including emulsifiers, enzymes and lactose. Its grocery division is a major manufacturer of both branded and private label grocery products and includes the brands Mazola, Ovaltine, Ryvita, Jordans and Twinings. Its retail division, Primark, has around 325 stores with over 6,500,000 sq ft (600,000 m2) of selling space across Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the UK, and the United States.

Associated British Foods is listed on the and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

The company was founded by Canadian W. Garfield Weston in 1935, initially as Food Investments Limited, with the name changing to Allied Bakeries Limited a month later. In 1960 the name was changed again to Associated British Foods. In 1963 the Company acquired Fine Fare, a leading British supermarket chain. Following the death of the founder in 1978, control of the company was passed on to his son Garry, while the North American operations fell to his son Galen.

The company sold Fine Fare in 1986 and in 1991 went on to acquire British Sugar. In 1997 ABF sold its retail operations in Ireland (including Northern Ireland) to Tesco. These businesses were: Quinnsworth and Crazy Prices in the Republic of Ireland and Stewarts Supermarket Limited and Crazy Prices in Northern Ireland. This sale also included the Stewarts Winebarrel off-licence chain, Lifestyle Sports & Leisure Ltd (a retail sports and leisure business), Kingsway Fresh Foods (a meat processing facility) and Daily Wrap Produce (a fruit and vegetable packaging plant).


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