Nordic group Orkla has acquired UK biscuits supplier Phoenix Brands.
Phoenix Brands, located in the West Midlands city of Wolverhampton, will sit within Orkla’s largest business area in food – Orkla Food Ingredients (OFI).
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The deal for Phoenix Brands, which supplies B2B customers with a range of biscuits such as digestives, bourbons and shortcake, has been struck by the OFI subsidiary Orchard Foods Valley (OV UK).
Financial terms were not disclosed in a statement today (18 May).
“With the acquisition, OV UK strengthens their position within the sweet inclusions category and supports the further development of manufacturing capabilities in the UK market,” Orkla said, adding the acquired business supplies bakery, dairy and confectionery companies.
OFI has also bought Senna this year, an Austrian producer of margarine, sauces and dressings. It acquired the business from Vivatis Holding, a transaction that “strengthens” its position in central and south-eastern Europe, Orkla said in February.
Tor Osmundsen, the CEO of OFI’s sweet ingredients unit, said: “This acquisition is well aligned with our strategy of strengthening our ingredients portfolio through targeted investments in attractive categories with strong fundamentals.
“Phoenix Brands supports our ambition to build leading, specialised positions in selected segments over time.”
Andy Richards, the managing director of Phoenix Brands, will remain with the company.
“Phoenix Brands has developed into a well run business with a strong market position, built on product quality, technical expertise and close customer collaboration. I am pleased that the company is becoming part of OV UK and OFI, and I look forward to remaining involved in the business to support continuity and its continued development,” he said.
Orkla is due to report its first-quarter results on Wednesday.
In 2025, the Norway-headquartered group generated revenue of Nkr71.05bn ($7.6bn), up 3.5% year on year.
Net profit almost doubled to Nkr12.06bn from Nkr6.4bn, while adjusted EBIT climbed 7.1% to Nkr7.65bn.
The OFI unit delivered a 10% increase in revenue to Nkr21.3bn. Orkla Foods posted Nkr20.9bn, up 1.5%, and Orkla Snacks Nkr10.5bn, 7.8% higher than a year earlier.
Commenting on the Phoenix Brands acquisition, OV UK’s CEO Coen Louwerse said: “The company has built a focused and scalable platform with long standing customer relationships and a clear position within its niche. This acquisition strengthens our capabilities within sweet inclusions and enhances the value offering we bring to customers in the UK market.”
