Heron Foods
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryFood retail
Founded1979 (1979)
Kingston upon Hull, England[1]
FounderMalcolm Heuck
Headquarters
Melton
,
England
Number of locations
293 as of 1 July 2020[2]
Area served
England
Wales
RevenueIncrease £194.7 million (2012)[3]
Decrease £6.7 million (2012)[3]
Decrease £3.2 million (2012)[3]
Number of employees
4,915 (2020)[3]
ParentB&M
Websitewww.heronfoods.com

Heron Foods Ltd. (formerly Heron Frozen Foods Ltd and Grindells Butchers Ltd) is an English retail chain founded in 1979 and based in Melton with 293 stores as of 1 July 2020.[2]

It primarily sells frozen food, but has a wide range of ambient and chilled stock with named brands including Muller, Birds Eye and McCain Foods, as well as several lines using the Heron Foods brand.

B&M announced in August 2017 that it had purchased Heron Foods for £152 million, a deal that was described as a "no brainer" by B&M's CEO Simon Arora.[4]

History

Heron Foods in Lincoln Green, Leeds. Branches are often situated in residential areas such as this.

The company was first registered in October 1978 as Grindells Butchers.[5] The first store was opened by the Grindell family on Holderness Road, Hull in 1979.[6]

In 1981 the company changed name to Heron Frozen Foods. Shortly after Anthony Grindell sold the business to his sister and her family – the Heucks.[5]

In 1999 Heron Foods bought 17 Dawn Til Dusk convenience stores after that chain went into receivership, bringing its total number of stores to over 100.[7] Malcolm and Sheila Heuck had a joint controlling interest in the company from the beginning, but in February 2003, having reached retirement age, they sold their stake to management;[6] from that point, the company was run by their sons Andrew, David and Michael.[8]

In September 2012 Heron Foods agreed to buy the Cooltrader frozen foods business from Iceland. The deal included 54 of the 58 shops and the depot and head office of Cooltrader.[9] The acquired Cooltrader outlets were converted to the Heron Foods brand.[10]

In August 2017, it was announced that Heron Foods had been sold to B&M for £152 million.[11] A number of new branches have been opened under the new B&M Express facia.[12][13]

Operations

The company's head office is at Melton in the East Riding of Yorkshire and it has around 250 outlets which are mostly located throughout the North of England and the Midlands. Heron Foods has developed its business in selling frozen and convenience store goods at a discount, the majority of which are household brands.[14] Heron occupies nine former Woolworth's locations.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Heron Foods - Top Quality, Lowest Prices. Right up your street!". www.heronfoods.com. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 "B&M European Value Retail S.A. - Annual Report and Accounts 2020". fr.zone-secure.net. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Financial statement of Heron Foods Limited in East Yorkshire". Duedil.com. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  4. ↑ Armstrong, Ashley (2 August 2017). "B&M Bargains moves into convenience retailing with £152m swoop on Heron Foods". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  5. 1 2 Companies House Information on Company 01392197
  6. 1 2 "About Heron Foods". Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  7. ↑ Independent Retail News 2 July 1999 COSTCUTTER LINKED WITH DAWN TIL DUSK STORES BYLINE: Daniel Pearce SECTION: NEWS; p. 10
  8. ↑ "News & Star - New frozen food shop to open". Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  9. ↑ "UK: Iceland agrees Cooltrader sale to Heron Foods". 4 September 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  10. ↑ Retail Week 3 September 2012 Monday Iceland appoints Paul Foley as international business director
  11. ↑ "Family-run Heron Foods taken over by B&M in £152m deal". BBC News. BBC. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  12. ↑ "Heron Flies South to Open First Store in Luton". 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  13. ↑ "B&M Express - Marsh Farm (Heron Foods)". 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  14. ↑ Nottingham Evening Post 21 August 2012 Tuesday Edition 1; National Edition Innes England in hunt for stores for growing chain of supermarkets SECTION: BUSINESS POST;BUSINESS; p. 15
  15. ↑ The Daily Telegraph (London) 19 January 2012 Thursday Edition 2; National Edition Pound legacy of Woolworths sites BYLINE: Harry Wallop SECTION: BUSINESS; p. 3
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