60% Micro
27% Small
6% Mid
5% Large
2% Mega
INSIGHTS - DECEMBER 2024
UK Food Industry
UK Food Industry Information
The food manufacturing industry links producers with consumers by processing agriculture, forestry and fishing products into food such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, fats and oils, milk products and grain products.
Active Businesses
14,551
Annual Sales
£119bn +
Employees
503,743
Economic Contribution
£27bn
Tags
Location of Food Companies
Food Companies by Size
Food Companies by Age
35% Young
24% Startup
22% Established
20% Mature
0% New
Oldest Food Companies
Established
Fastest Growing Food Companies
27% Declining
26% Healthy
20% Rapid
19% High
9% Low
Fastest Growing Food Companies
3yr CAGR
Food Industry Competitive Environment - New Entrants vs Leavers
Food Industry Valuation
EBITDA Multiple
Food Industry Valuation
Turnover Multiple
Food Industry Valuation
Net Asset Multiple
Note - from March 2020 multiples are calculated monthly, prior to this they were calculated on an annual basis.
UK Manufacture of food products Industry Insights
There are 14,551 active Businesses in the UK with combined annual sales of £119 billion .
The Industry employs around 503,743 people and contributes £27 billion to the economy.
The most popular location for Food companies is London with 3,342 and the fewest are located in North East England with 321.
The largest Food company is Arla Foods Limited with a turnover of £3bn. 60% of the industry is comprised of Micro companies with only 6% Mid companies.
20% of the Food Industry is made up of 20% Mature but the majority are Young businesses (35%) the oldest company is Wilkin & Sons Limited founded in 1888.
Food industry has a number of high growth companies (19%), the fastest growing company is Kerry Ingredients (Uk) Limited with a 3 year growth rate of 248%. Other fast growing companies include Penasul Uk Limited (154%), Lasting Impressions Food Company Limited (128%) and Little & Cull Ltd (86%).
The UK Food Industry’s valuation has been improving over the past 3 years with a current EBITDA multiple of 9.13x, Turnover multiple of 1.28x and a Net Asset multiple of 2.13x.
