Nomad Foods

Last updated
Nomad Foods Limited
Company type Limited
NYSE:  NOMD
Industry Foods
Founded1 June 2015 [1]
Founder Noam Gottesman
Martin E. Franklin
HeadquartersForge, 43 Church Street West, Woking, Surrey, GU21 6HT (Address of Principal Executive Offices)
British Virgin Islands [2] (Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
Area served
Europe
Key people
Dominic Brisby (CEO) [1]
RevenueIncrease2.svg EUR 3.099 billion (2024) [1]
Increase2.svg EUR 387 million (2024) [1]
Increase2.svg EUR 227 million (2024) [1]
Total assets Increase2.svg EUR 6.431 billion (2024) [1]
Total equity Increase2.svg EUR 2.662 billion (2024) [1]
Number of employees
7,788 (2024) [1]
Subsidiaries Birds Eye (Europe)
Iglo
Findus
Frikom
Ledo
Aunt Bessie's
Goodfella's
La Cocinera (Spain)
Belviva (Belgium)
Website nomadfoods.com

Nomad Foods is the largest frozen food company in Europe, [3] whose popular brands include Birds Eye, Ledo, Iglo, Findus, and Frikom. The company manufactures, sells and distributes a range of frozen food products across 22 European markets, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The most popular products in Nomad Foods’ portfolio include fish fingers, creamed spinach, peas and chicken. Nomad Foods is listed on the New York Stock Exchange trading under the ticker “NOMD”.

Contents

History

Origin

Nomad Foods was founded as Nomad Holdings on 1 April 2014 by Noam Gottesman and Martin E. Franklin.

On 20 April 2015, Nomad Holding announced it would acquire the Iglo Group (with its brands Iglo, Birds Eye and Findus Italy) from private equity firm Permira for €2.6 billion. [4] The acquisition was completed on 1 July 2015, and Nomad Holdings renamed itself to Nomad Foods. Permira retained a minority stake in the company.

Nomad Foods subsequently expanded its European footprint by acquiring Findus Group's continental European business in November 2015 for approximately €500 million. [5] [6]

Strategic growth and acquisitions

Following its listing move from the London Stock Exchange to the New York Stock Exchange [7] in January 2016, Nomad Foods entered a period of sustained expansion and commercial success. This performance was driven by a combination of organic growth initiatives - such as portfolio renovation, innovation, and sustainability leadership - and strategic acquisitions that broadened its geographic footprint and product range.

In April 2018, Nomad Foods acquired Goodfella's from 2 Sisters Food Group, for €225 million, strengthening its presence in the UK and Ireland. Two months later, in June 2018, it completed its acquisition of Aunt Bessie's Limited from William Jackson & Son Limited, for approximately €240 million. [8] , adding iconic British meal accompaniments to its portfolio.

Nomad Foods continued its expansion in November 2020, announcing the acquisition of Findus Switzerland from Froneri International Limited. The acquisition was completed in January 2021 for a purchase price of approximately €110 million. [9] The transaction unified Nomad Foods' ownership of the Findus brand across Europe.

Shortly thereafter, in January 2021, Nomad Foods went into exclusive talks with Fortenova Group over their frozen food business, which includes Ledo Plus (Croatia), Ledo Čitluk (Bosnia & Herzegovinia) and Frikom (Serbia). The acquisition closed in September 2021 for approximately €615 million, [10] making it one of the largest deals in Nomad Foods' history.

Brands

Nomad Foods' brand portfolio is anchored by five brands:

Birds Eye

A major frozen food brand in the UK and Ireland. Founded by Clarence Birdseye, the inventor of modern frozen food technology, in 1922. In June 1938, Frosted Foods was formed to bring the Birds Eye Frozen Foods brand to the UK. Unilever acquired the brand and owned it from 1943 until 2006, when it was sold to Permira as part of the Iglo Group. Birds Eye has been part of Nomad Foods since 2015.

Iglo

A brand in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Portugal, famous for products like Captain Iglo fish fingers and ‘Blubb’ spinach. Originally launched in Belgium in 1956, expanding to the Netherlands and Germany in the early 1960s. As with Birds Eye, Permira acquired the Iglo business from Unilever in 2006, and sold the group to Nomad Foods at a value of €2.6bn in 2015.

Findus

Established in 1945, known for innovation in frozen meals and strong presence in Scandinavia and Southern Europe. Founded as Skånska Fruktvin Likörfabriken in Sweden in 1903. The company was renamed Findus in 1941 and began producing frozen food products in 1945. Findus was acquired by Nestlé in 1962. In 1963, Nestlé and Unilever formed a joint venture in Italy under the Findus name, with Unilever acquiring Nestlé’s stake in 1985, giving it full ownership of the Findus brand in Italy.

Frikom

A frozen food brand in Serbia and neighbouring countries. It offers a wide variety of frozen goods including vegetables, pastries, pizzas, and ice cream. Previously owned by Fortenova Group, Frikom has a strong distribution network and brand loyalty in the Western Balkans.

Ledo

A brand in Croatia and the broader Balkan region. It is known for its extensive range of frozen vegetables, ready meals, and especially ice cream products. Ledo was acquired by Nomad Foods from Fortenova Group. Ledo produced the first ice cream in Croatia, the popular Snjeguljica (Snow White).

The company holds an estimated 15% market share in Western Europe’s €26.3 billion savoury frozen food market, more than double that of its nearest competitor.

As well as these anchor brands, Nomad Foods’ portfolio also includes a number of local brands:

Aunt Bessie's

A UK producer of frozen Yorkshire puddings, potatoes, vegetables and desserts. The brand originated in 1974 when Tryton Foods (part of the William Jackson Food Group) began supplying Yorkshire puddings to Butlin's holiday camps, later launching as the Aunt Bessie’s brand in 1995. Its portfolio grew rapidly – roast potatoes were introduced in 1999, and by the early 2010s it was recognised among the UK’s top 100 brands by The Grocer. Nomad Foods acquired the Aunt Bessie’s business from William Jackson in 2018.

Belviva

A sub-brand of iglo Belgium, Belviva produces a range of fries and frozen potato specialties. Belviva was previously known as Lutosa, but in 2019 was legally required to rebrand after its trademark and production units were sold separately. [11] The name Belviva was chosen to reflect its Belgian heritage (“Bel”) and joyful celebration (“viva”).

Goodfella's

Goodfella’s pizza is an Italian-American style frozen pizza brand based in Ireland, founded by Green Isle Foods Ltd in 1993 and introduced in the UK market in 1995. Best known for its popular stone-baked thin crust pizzas and takeaway range, Goodfella’s also offers gluten-free and vegan options. The brand operates two production sites in Longford and Naas. In April 2018, Nomad Foods acquired Goodfella’s from 2 Sisters Food Group for approximately £200–225 million.

La Cocinera

La Cocinera is a ready-meal brand that one of the most well known brands in the Spanish frozen food aisle. Founded in 1960 in Navarra, Spain, La Cocinera introduced its first frozen meal products in 1962, becoming a pioneer in the Spanish frozen food market. In January 2015, Nestlé Spain sold the business to Findus Spain, which later became part of the Nomad Foods portfolio. The brand’s production facility in Valladolid continues to play a key role in its operations.

Innovation and sustainability

Nomad Foods focuses on the development of frozen fish, vegetables, and ready meals, alongside marketing and investment efforts to increase profits.

Along with this organic growth, Nomad Foods has focused on innovation and sustainability:

Leadership

In October 2025, Nomad Foods announced the appointment of Dominic Brisby as Executive President, CEO-Elect, and Member of the Board of Directors, effective November 3, 2025. [20] Brisby officially assumed the CEO role on 1 January 2026, succeeding Stéfan Descheemaeker, who served as CEO from 2015 to 2025.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Nomad Foods Limited". www.sec.gov. UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION.
  2. "Form 20F - Nomad Foods". United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
  3. "Nomad Foods | About us".
  4. "Birds Eye owner, Iglo Group, sold to American firm". BBC News. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  5. Ellis, Mark (26 March 2016). "There's some very good news for fans of Findus Crispy Pancakes". mirror.
  6. "Nomad Foods Limited Completes Acquisition of Findus Group's Continental European Businesses". PR Newswire. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  7. "Nomad Foods To Celebrate Official Listing On New York Stock Exchange By Ringing Opening Bell". PR Newswire. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  8. "Nomad Agrees to Buy British Food Brand Aunt Bessie's". Bloomberg.com. 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
  9. Devlin, Ed. "Nomad Foods unifies Findus with €110m Switzerland deal". The Grocer. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  10. nomadfoods.com (2021-10-01). "Nomad Foods Completes Acquisition of Fortenova Group's Frozen Food Business and Updates Guidance" . Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  11. "Lutosa to Rebrand as Belviva by 2021". Frozen Food Europe. 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  12. "Sustainability reports | Investor Relations". Nomad Foods. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  13. "10x20x30 | Champions 12.3". champions123.org. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  14. "Annual reports | Investor Relations". Nomad Foods. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  15. "Nomad Foods underlines call to reset freezer temperatures and joins Move to -15°C, committing to reduce carbon emissions in frozen food". Nomad Foods. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  16. "Nomad Foods unveils Future Foods Lab to fast-track startup innovation through venture clienting". Nomad Foods. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  17. "Appetite for a Better World | About". Nomad Foods. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  18. "Science Based Targets initiative validates Nomad Foods' net-zero ambitions". Nomad Foods. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  19. Leonard-Bedwell, Niamh. "Birds Eye adds Get Real protein meals inspired by world cuisines". The Grocer. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  20. "Nomad Foods Names Dominic Brisby as Executive President & CEO-Elect; Announces Stéfan Descheemaeker's Retirement". Nomad Foods. Retrieved 2026-01-27.