Princes

Princes Group is an international food and drink business headquartered in Liverpool, England. Its activities cover the manufacture, import and distribution of branded and customer-own-brand products for supermarkets, convenience retailers, food-service businesses, wholesalers and other manufacturers. The portfolio spans ambient grocery, canned fish and meat, fruit and vegetables, pulses, soups, pasta, cooking sauces, edible oils, soft drinks and prepared foods. The business began in 1880 as Simpson Roberts, a partnership formed by British entrepreneur William Muirhead Simpson and Canadian businessman Frank Roberts. Its earliest trade centred on importing tinned lobster from Canada. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the company developed the Maypole, Mikado and Princes names and became a major participant in the international lobster trade. The partnership was incorporated as a limited company in 1919. Princes expanded beyond its original import activity during the twentieth century. It entered continental Europe in 1960 and adopted the name Princes Foods in 1962. Ownership changed several times: J Bibby & Sons acquired the business in 1964, the combined operation was sold to Buitoni in 1973, Nestlé acquired Buitoni in 1988, and Mitsubishi Corporation bought Princes in 1989. Under Mitsubishi, the group increased its manufacturing footprint and broadened its brand portfolio through acquisitions and operating investments. Important additions included East Anglian canning operations and the Crosse & Blackwell and Farrow's brands in 2011, the establishment of Princes Industrie Alimentari and acquisition of a tomato-processing facility in Foggia, Italy, in 2012, and expansion of tuna processing in Mauritius in 2015. By 2013, Princes was described as the United Kingdom's largest supplier of tinned food. Its manufacturing network subsequently extended across the United Kingdom, Italy, Mauritius and Poland. The group underwent restructuring after a sharp fall in net profit prompted a business review in 2018. The review resulted in the announced closure of factories in Manchester and Chichester. By 2020, the company employed approximately 7,000 people worldwide, including around 2,200 in the United Kingdom. Mitsubishi Corporation agreed in 2024 to sell Princes to Italian food company Newlat Food S.p.A. The transaction, reported at a value of approximately £700 million, was completed in July 2024. Newlat changed its name to NewPrinces S.p.A. in April 2025. The supplied reference material also reports an initial public offering for Princes Group on the London Stock Exchange in October 2025, but provides no ticker or separate offering source. Princes has been based at Liverpool's Royal Liver Building since 1982 and reportedly acquired the building in 2025.

Princes traces its origins to 1880 in Liverpool, a major British port whose trading connections supported the import and distribution of food commodities. The company initially developed as a food importer and merchant rather than as a narrowly defined packaged-food brand. This trading heritage remained important as the business moved into branded products, processing and packing. During the twentieth century, Princes broadened its presence across ambient grocery categories. Canned foods became central to the consumer proposition, including fish, tomatoes, fruit and vegetables. The company also developed products such as sauces, oils and prepared foods, allowing the Princes name to appear across multiple parts of a typical household shop. Alongside branded goods, the business built capabilities in private-label production and foodservice supply. Seafood became one of the group’s most significant activities. Tuna and other fish products linked the company to international fishing, processing and logistics networks. This increased the importance of responsible sourcing, supplier standards and supply-chain transparency in the group’s public communications. Princes’ food business also depends on globally sourced agricultural commodities, including tomatoes, fruit, vegetables and oils. Mitsubishi Corporation acquired Princes in 1989. The acquisition placed the British business within a large Japanese trading and investment group and supported the development of wider international sourcing, manufacturing and distribution links. Princes continued to operate as a recognizable British grocery business while expanding its industrial and commercial reach. In the modern period, Princes has functioned as a diversified food and drink group rather than only a branded canned-food manufacturer. Its activities have included product development, food processing, packing, brand marketing, contract manufacturing, private-label supply and foodservice distribution. The group has maintained a substantial UK presence while serving customers in other European and international markets. The Princes brand’s competitive role is principally that of a broad, mainstream grocery label. It is used for practical products that are stored in the pantry and incorporated into everyday meals. This positioning gives the brand breadth but also exposes it to strong competition from supermarket own-label products, multinational packaged-food companies and category specialists. Cost inflation in commodities, packaging, energy and logistics, together with changing expectations around nutrition, sustainability and seafood sourcing, are recurring strategic issues for the business. Princes remains active and is owned by Mitsubishi Corporation. Because the company operates through a group structure that includes brands, manufacturing operations and business-to-business activities, individual products may not all be marketed under the Princes name. Current operational details, management and sustainability commitments should be verified against the company’s latest disclosures.

• 1989

  Acquisition by Mitsubishi Corporation

  [1]Princes Group: About usprincesgroup.com

  Mitsubishi Corporation acquired Princes, bringing the company into the Japanese group’s international portfolio.

• 1880

  Business established in Liverpool

  [1]Princes Group: About usprincesgroup.com

  Princes traces its origins to a Liverpool food-importing and trading business founded in 1880.

• Expansion into diversified food manufacturing

  [2]Princes Group: What we doprincesgroup.com

  Princes developed from an importing and trading operation into a multi-category food group covering branded products, private label, foodservice and manufacturing.

Mainstream, accessible grocery and foodservice products focused on convenience, pantry staples and everyday meal preparation.

• Canned fish and seafood

  Princes Tuna

  A core Princes grocery range comprising canned tuna in formats intended for salads, sandwiches, pasta dishes and other everyday meals. The range is connected to the group’s broader seafood sourcing, processing and responsible-sourcing activities.

• Canned tomatoes

  Princes Tomatoes

  Ambient tomato products used as cooking ingredients, including canned tomatoes and related tomato preparations. They are positioned as practical pantry staples for sauces, soups, stews and pasta-based meals.

• Canned fruit and vegetables

  Princes Fruit and Vegetables

  Shelf-stable fruit and vegetable products designed for household convenience and extended storage. The range supports everyday cooking and meal preparation and forms part of Princes’ traditional ambient-grocery portfolio.

• Sauces and prepared foods

  Princes Sauces and Pasta Products

  Cooking sauces and pasta-related products that extend the brand from basic canned ingredients into more complete meal solutions. These products are intended to reduce preparation time while retaining a mainstream grocery positioning.

• Cooking oils

  Princes Edible Oils

  Cooking oils supplied for household and foodservice use. The category reflects Princes’ wider involvement in commodity sourcing and packaged pantry staples beyond canned foods.

• 1989

  Join Mitsubishi Corporation’s food portfolioM&A

  Background

  Princes was acquired after developing from a Liverpool food importer into a broader branded and manufacturing food business.

  Action taken

  Mitsubishi Corporation acquired Princes and retained the business as an operating food group.

  Aftermath

  The ownership structure enabled Princes to operate within a larger international trading group while continuing to develop its UK grocery and foodservice activities.

  Source

• 2026.01.02

  NewPrinces completes €124.3m acquisition of Plasmon from Kraft Heinz[5]NewPrinces以1.243亿欧元完成从卡夫亨氏收购Plasmonfoodbev.com

  NewPrinces, the parent group of Princes, completed the acquisition of 100% of Italian baby food specialist Plasmon from The Kraft Heinz Company for €124.3 million. Princes Italia entered an operating lease agreement with Plasmon effective 1 January 2026, with annual rent of €3 million plus 1.5% of revenues, and all Plasmon operations will be carried out by Princes Italia.

• 2022.02.24

  Reported2022.02.24

  Princes partners with Oxfam Italy on workers’ rights[6]Princes与乐施会意大利分会合作保护工人权益thegrocer.co.uk

  Princes partnered with Oxfam Italy to protect workers’ rights across Napolina’s Italian tomato supply chain. The collaboration includes monitoring processes, independent assessments, and worker-support initiatives.

• Unconfirmed

  Reported2021.12.08

  Princes partners with EDM on a Mauritian tuna-site biogas project[7]Princes 与 EDM 合作开展毛里求斯金枪鱼加工厂沼气项目seafoodsource.com

  Princes partnered with Energie des Mascareignes (EDM) on a project intended to reduce emissions from Princes Tuna Mauritius processing sites by converting semi-solid waste and effluent water into biogas.

• 2021.11.23

  Reported2021.11.23

  Princes launches Co-Labs retailer collaboration platform[8]Princes 推出 Co-Labs 零售商协作平台thegrocer.co.uk

  Princes launched Co-Labs, a platform intended to help retailers collaborate with the company on innovation and new product development, using consumer-panel feedback, co-created concepts and product trials.

• Unconfirmed

  Reported2021.06.25

  Princes completes first phase of Cardiff site investment[9]Princes完成Cardiff工厂投资项目首阶段kamcity.com

  Princes completed the first phase of a planned £60 million investment at its Cardiff manufacturing site, including installing seven soft-drink production lines and upgrading and refurbishing two existing lines.

Read more

1. 1Princes Group: About usprincesgroup.com
2. 2Princes Group: What we doprincesgroup.com
3. 3Princes Group: Our brandsprincesgroup.com
4. 4Mitsubishi Corporation: Food industry businessmitsubishicorp.com
5. 5NewPrinces以1.243亿欧元完成从卡夫亨氏收购Plasmonfoodbev.com
6. 6Princes与乐施会意大利分会合作保护工人权益thegrocer.co.uk
7. 7Princes 与 EDM 合作开展毛里求斯金枪鱼加工厂沼气项目seafoodsource.com
8. 8Princes 推出 Co-Labs 零售商协作平台thegrocer.co.uk
9. 9Princes完成Cardiff工厂投资项目首阶段kamcity.com
10. 10Princes Launches New Platform To Collaborate With Retailers On NPDkamcity.com