– **History**:
– Allscott facility in Shropshire closed in early 2007 and has been demolished.
– British Sugar Corporation formed in 1936, nationalizing the sugar beet processing industry.
– In 1972, sugar products sold under the name Silver Spoon.
– British Sugar plc established in May 1982 and later acquired by Berisford International.
– Associated British Foods acquired British Sugar in 1991.
– **Early History**:
– In 2004, British Sugar acquired Billingtons, a tea and coffee trading company.
– Rights issue in 1977 reduced government holding from 36% to 24%.
– British Sugar plc was taken over by Berisford International in 1982.
– Company name shortened to British Sugar plc in 1982.
– Berisford International sold to Associated British Foods in 1991.
– **Closures**:
– Cupar sugar refinery closed in 1971, impacting sugar beet processing in Scotland.
– Multiple factory closures occurred from 1981 to 2007 due to various reasons.
– Only four factories still process beet: Bury St Edmunds, Cantley, Newark-on-Trent, and Wissington.
– Decommissioned sites still have large concrete silos.
– Collaboration with BP and DuPont to build a bioethanol plant at BPs Hull site.
– **Operations**:
– British Sugar is the primary buyer of all sugar beet grown in Britain.
– Proposal to restart sugar beet cultivation in Eastern Scotland for bioethanol.
– British Sugar supplies cannabis to GW Pharmaceuticals.
– **Management**:
– Former managing director, Paul Kenward, is married to Conservative MP and Health Minister Victoria Atkins.
British Sugar plc is a subsidiary of Associated British Foods and the sole British producer of sugar from sugar beet, as well as medicinal cannabis.
 | |
| Formerly | British Sugar Corporation Limited (1936–1982) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Sugar beet processing |
| Predecessor | Anglo-Scottish Beet Sugar Corporation  |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Headquarters | , England, United Kingdom |
Number of locations | 5 |
Area served | United Kingdom |
Key people | Keith Packer (managing director) |
| Products | Sugar Bioethanol Animal feed Topsoil Soil conditioners |
| Revenue |  £714.1 million (2021) |
| £59.8 million (2021) | |
| £35.3 million (2021) | |
Number of employees | 1,400 (2021) |
| Parent | AB Sugar (Associated British Foods) |
| Website | britishsugar |
British Sugar processes all sugar beet grown in the United Kingdom, and produces about two-thirds of the United Kingdom's quota of sugar, with the remainder produced by the brand Tate & Lyle, under licence to American Sugar Refining, and by imports. British Sugar and the growers fix a contract called the "Inter Professional Agreement" determining the price paid for beet grown and the allocation of growers' quotas. The National Farmers Union (NFU) is the negotiator for the growers.