HP Foods

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for clobbered parameters|check|nested=1|template=Infobox company|cat=Template:Main other|name; company_name|logo; company_logo|logo_alt; alt|trade_name; trading_name|former_names; former_name|type; company_type|predecessors; predecessor|successors; successor|foundation; founded|founders; founder|defunct; dissolved|hq_location; location|hq_location_city; location_city|hq_location_country; location_country|num_locations; locations|areas_served; area_served|net_income; profit|net_income_year; profit_year|owners; owner |homepage; website }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox company with unknown parameter "_VALUE_" | ignoreblank=y | alt | area_served | areas_served | assets | assets_year | aum | brands | company_logo | company_name | company_type | defunct | dissolved | divisions | embed | equity | equity_year | fate | footnotes | headquarters | former_name | former_names | foundation | founded | founder | founders | genre | homepage | hq_location | hq_location_city | hq_location_country | incorporated | image | image_alt | image_caption | image_size | image_upright | income_year | industry | ISIN | key_people | location | location_city | location_country | locations | logo | logo_alt | logo_caption | logo_class | logo_size | logo_upright | members | members_year | module | name | native_name | native_name_lang | net_income | net_income_year | num_employees | num_employees_year | num_locations | num_locations_year | operating_income | owner | owners | parent | predecessor | predecessors | production | production_year | products | profit | profit_year | rating | ratio | revenue | revenue_year | romanized_name | services | subsid | subsidiaries | successor | successors | traded_as | trade_name | trading_name | type | website| qid | fetchwikidata | suppressfields | noicon | nocat | demo | categories }} HP Foods Limited, formerly based in Birmingham, England was best known as the producer of HP, Lea & Perrins, and Daddies sauce brands.<ref name="heinz-buys">BBC News Heinz buys HP sauce in £470m deal, 20 June 2005. Retrieved on 11 March 2008.</ref> It was also the UK licensee, from Heinz, of Chinese food and condiment brand Amoy Food.<ref name="heinz-buys" /><ref>Amoy Food UK website, About Amoy, retrieved on 11 March 2008.</ref>

Formerly the Midlands Vinegar Company<ref name="bbc-abroad" /> and Smedley HP Foods Limited, it was acquired by Imperial Foods, a division of Imperial Group. Edward Eastwood and his nephew Edwin Samson Moore established the Midland Vinegar Company at Aston, Birmingham in 1875.<ref name="heinz-buys" />

In 1939, the Birmingham Gazette noted that H.P. Sauce Ltd. also produced H.P. Tomato Ketchup, H.P. Salad Cream, H.P. Mayonnaise and the sweet pickle, Pickante. The company's wholly owned subsidiaries included the Midland Vinegar Co., F.G. Garton & Co., Mallors (Worcester Sauce),Template:Efn Tower Yeast Company, and Lea and Perrins.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

HP Foods Ltd was retained by Imperial's parent company Hanson plc even after the demerger of the Imperial Group. It was sold to Groupe Danone SA in 1988 for £199 million.<ref name="heinz-buys" /> It was sold by Danone to Heinz in June 2005 for £470 million.<ref name="heinz-buys" /> However, in October of that year the takeover was referred by the UK's Office of Fair Trading to the Competition Commission.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After a review the Competition Commission approved the takeover and Heinz started integrating this new company into the business.

In 2007, the Aston factory was demolished, and production of HP and Daddies sauce brands was moved to the Netherlands.<ref name="bbc-abroad" /><ref>BBC News Staff told of HP factory closure, 23 August 2006. Retrieved on 11 March 2008.</ref><ref>BBC News Demolition of HP factory begins, 2 July 2007. Retrieved on 11 March 2008.</ref> Bottling of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce was returned to Worcester, having been moved in 2005 to the Aston factory. During this time, the sauce continued to be manufactured but not bottled at the Midlands Road site.

See also

• Brown sauce
• Sweet chili sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Tomato ketchup

External links

• Template:Official website (archived 8 March 2008)