Manchester’s biscuit manufacturing giant, Hill Biscuits, has seen a notable increase in sales revenue since 2021, boasting a 50% growth in 2023 and projecting further rises in 2024.
As it nears its 170th anniversary, the company, known for its traditional British biscuits, prides itself on a future that honours its rich heritage and commitment to cost-effective products.
CEO Frank Bird, who began leading the company in May 2023, is positioning Hill Biscuits for continued growth. With a rich background in the bakery industry, including senior roles at Delifrance and Aryzta, Frank is honoured to steer the company through this period of excitement, acknowledging its historical resilience.
The spotlight is now on Hill’s new senior team, which includes Operations Director Simon Worth, CFO Brendon Ward-Banner, and Commercial Director Tracey Meadows. They are at the forefront of driving changes aimed at enhancing working practices, focusing on business performance improvement while setting fresh benchmarks in Quality Control, People Development, and Process Control, reflecting Hill’s steadfast commitment to excellence and customer focus.
Frank Bird’s innovative approach to food manufacturing allows the company to thoroughly analyse processes, identifying efficiency gains that favour both the bakery and its clientele. Looking forward, Hill Biscuits is set to announce significant investments in 2024 to expand its on-site capacity, ensuring it keeps pace with growing product demand and client requirements.
Frank Bird remarked: “The senior team is now leading a transformation of the working practices at the factory, establishing new standards across the company with a data-driven approach. Our focus spans all areas of the business, developing a pivotal point on efficiency and bakery performances, whilst ensuring that quality is at the heart of our enhancements. The delivery of our plans will be supported through improving our emphasis on people development and acquiring natural succession within the business in all key roles, while also having an adaptive focus on process improvement and preventative maintenance.
Adapting to Market Changes
With a shift in the biscuit industry towards higher-end products, Hill Biscuits is capitalising on opportunities in its traditional biscuit lines.
Frank elaborated: “There has been a lot of movement in the market recently with some manufacturers making the decision to follow the premium trend which in turn has created opportunities for Hill’s to expand on its ability in producing traditional quality biscuits, which is what Hill is all about.”
For 2024, Frank is eager to explore co-manufacturing partnerships to reintroduce the Sarah Hill brand, named after a company founder in 1855, featuring premium products including cookies and possibly coated biscuits. This strategy could enhance Hill’s market presence and pave the way for new product lines and partnerships.
Hill Biscuits is planning a substantial capital investment over the next 12 to 18 months to address demand and customer requirements.
Frank added: “There is an equal significance placed on process and product development, creativity should always extend to operating methods as much as product design, this is where we are focussing our capital investments. Leveraging my experiences, along with the knowledge within the team, we are meticulously scrutinising our business, identifying inefficiencies, and adjusting practices to optimise productivity, enabling us to manage capability and costs without compromising quality.”
Reflecting on Hill Biscuits’ recent developments and future factory investments, Steve Greenhalgh, Executive Chairman, commented: “We are confident in our strategies and excited about developing the future of the company to meet the demand for our everyday biscuits. We are in a strong position where we can lead on cost and value, with a quality range of products.”
Hill Biscuits, with the backing of main shareholder LDC Private Equity, is poised for a new era of growth and prosperity.
