UK's Premier Foods expects strong annual trading profit on festive sales boost (updated)

Premier Foods

21/01/2026 07:48

Adds shares in paragraph 2, CEO comment in paragraph 5, analyst in 7, details throughout

Expects full-year trading profit at upper end of estimates

Branded revenue growth extends from previous quarter

CEO says strong product innovation driving consumer interest

Jan 21 (Reuters) - Premier Foods PFD.L forecast annual profit at the upper end of market expectations on Wednesday, as consumers indulged in premium ranges such as Mr Kipling Signature Mince Pies and new launches such as OXO Bone Broth over the festive period.

Shares in the company rose as much as 7.2% to 181.4 pence in early trade.

Analysts expect trading profit of between 193 million pounds and 198.2 million pounds ($259.3 million-$266.3 million) for fiscal 2026, according to a company-compiled consensus.

Premier Foods has been operating in a highly competitive retail environment where shopper demand is heavily shaped by discounts and in-store promotions, and has increasingly leaned towards launching products focused on nutrition, convenience, seasonal cooking and sustainable packaging.

  "Our portfolio of brands offer consumers great options to cook and eat affordable, delicious meals at home, and together with our track record of performance through all economic cycles, firmly underpins confidence in our medium-term prospects," CEO Alex Whitehouse said in a statement.

Its newly acquired brands such as The Spice Tailor, FUEL10K and Merchant Gourmet also performed well with double-digit revenue growth, the company said.

 Analysts at RBC Capital Markets said Premier Foods’ third‑quarter update was "reassuring".

 The company, one of the UK's largest food producers supplying to supermarkets and the food services sector, reported a 5.2% rise in branded revenue growth over the Christmas period, extending the growth seen in the previous quarter.

 Premier reported total sales of 375.1 million pounds for the quarter ended December 27, 2025, a year-on-year increase of 4.1%.

($1 = 0.7444 pounds)

(Reporting by Ankita Bora in Bengaluru; Editing by Sumana Nandy and Sharon Singleton)

((Ankita.Bora@thomsonreuters.com;))