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Introduction
Introduction
ABF - in brief
Associated British Foods is a diversified international food, ingredients and retail group with sales of £9.3 billion and over 96,000 employees in 44 countries.
We aim to achieve strong, sustainable leadership positions in markets that offer potential for profitable growth, and deliver quality products and services that are central to people’s lives.
ABF - corporate objectives
The group has twin financial goals of consistently achieving sustainable real profits growth and long-term cash generation. In pursuing these aims we focus our energies on market segments where we can establish strong, sustainable leadership positions.
Our long-term business objectives:
- to grow organically and by acquisition in complementary activities
- to achieve high levels of operating efficiency
to operate through a focused divisional structure in which each business:
- - has an influential market position
- - has sufficient scale to attract highest quality management
- - has differentiated features for leveraging added value
- - has potential for sustained revenue & profit growth or cashflow
ABF - business overview
Associated British Foods is a balanced diversified business operating in most of the world's main food markets. It is divided into five segments: Sugar; Agriculture; Retail; Grocery and Ingredients.
Over the past few years we have disposed of businesses that do not fit this strategic focus and continue to actively pursue acquisitions that will deliver the market presence we seek to meet our aims.
As a group we are also constantly searching for better, more efficient and more profitable ways to manufacture foods and ways to transfer our technology to other related businesses. For a number of years we have undertaken a far-reaching programme of efficiency improvements in our operating plants and this has been instrumental in achieving our business objectives. This initiative has also had a positive effect in improving the environmental performance of our facilities.
As a responsible corporate citizen, we aim to act in a socially responsible manner at all times. The group's organisational structure is highly decentralised and as such our companies devise procedures appropriate to, and compliant with, local laws, culture and operating conditions but within the overall context of minimum overriding principles.
ABF - global perspective
Associated British Foods is a global food and ingredients business, with sales and manufacturing operations across Europe, Americas, Africa, Asia & China.
It has activities in 44 countries with a total of approximately 96,000 employees.
Wherever our operations are sited, we aim, as a minimum, to meet all relevant legislation, cut emissions, reduce energy and raw material consumption, cut waste and recycle where possible, reduce packaging, use transport efficiently and operate effective health and safety regimes.
More information on Health, Safety & the Environment
ABF - in the marketplace
Our business is split into five segments: Sugar; Agriculture; Retail; Grocery; Ingredients.
Sugar comprises our sugar processing business, based in Europe, Africa & China, which is now the second largest in the world.
Agriculture operates extensive international agribusiness operations delivering products, technology and services to the food, drink and animal feed sectors.
The Retail segment comprises a major value fashion retail group Primark trading in the high streets of the UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
The Grocery segment encompasses a number of major manufacturers of branded and private label products. These include hot beverages; sugars & sweeteners; vegetable oils; bread & baked goods; ethnic foods; herbs & spices; meat & dairy.
Our Ingredients segment operates globally in yeast and bakery ingredient production. In addition, it focuses on high-value ingredients for food and non-food applications.