Mon, 29 Sep 2025 | BUSINESS SALE
Hilton Food Group has sold Fairfax Meadow Europe, a meat supplier to the foodservice sector that was established more than 50 years ago, to Sysco in a deal worth £54 million. The sale represents close to a 10x multiple of Fairfax Meadow’s operating profit for 2024.
Established in the 1970s through a small group of local butchers in North London, Fairfax Meadow has established itself as a major meat supplier to the UK foodservice industry, working with a number of the UK’s most well-known brands.
The company, which operates from three meat processing and packaging facilities in London, Eastleigh and Derby, serves businesses from sectors including hospitality and travel.
In the year to December 30 2024, it reported turnover of around £167 million, down from approximately £168 million a year earlier, while increasing operating profits slightly from £5.2 million to £5.35 million. Post-tax profits remained level at £3.7 million.
Calling Fairfax Meadow a “high quality business” that Hilton had supported and grown since 2021, Hilton Foods CEO Steve Murrells commented: "At Hilton Foods, our objective is clear, to build on the strengths that have long defined our business. By refining our portfolio and focusing resources where our global expertise and strong customer partnerships create the greatest opportunities, we are reinforcing the platform for sustained growth and delivering attractive long-term returns."
The buyer, Sysco, is a US-based group specialising in marketing, selling and distributing food products to restaurants, lodging establishments and healthcare and educational facilities. The firm operates 339 global distribution facilities, serving around 730,000 customer locations.
Sysco GB Chief Executive Paul Nieduszynski said that the acquisition was “a crucial next step in our plan to build leadership in the critical meat category.”
He continued: "Fairfax Meadow is a great business with skilled and experienced colleagues and a superb reputation for producing quality meat, combined with great levels of service. We believe this is a complementary fit for Sysco GB, strengthening our fresh meat proposition across the country and bringing even greater value to our customers."
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