ABOUT US | Panicium

VISION & STRATEGY

Vision & Strategy anchor

The primary strategic objective of the Panicium Group is to acquire companies in the UK craft/artisan food sector to develop a portfolio of brands characterised by their hand-made, high-quality nature with a distinctly regional brand ‘identity’.

In 2018, the first company to join the group was Margaret Hall Limited. Margaret Hall, trading as Margaret's Country Kitchen, is a 50 plus year-old business specialising in branded medium life bakery products sold primarily into the wholesale market.

In 2021, the second company to join Panicium was Binghams Food Limited, a Sheffield-based producer of high-quality fresh potted meats and spreads mainly sold through retailers.

At the end of 2023, the third company to join Panicium was The Bury Black Pudding Co Limited, the UK's leading producer of black pudding mainly sold through farm shops, butchers, restaurants, pubs, hotels and most supermarkets.

Being part of a group, extends the reach of individual companies’ products through increased direct and indirect marketing and promotion to UK retail outlets that want to offer specialist quality food products. Group companies also benefit from increased purchasing power for common raw materials, logistics and storage services. In addition, the group provides the potential for increased asset utilisation by sharing specialised equipment and managing peak demand for seasonal products.

The vision of Panicium is to implement a buy-and-build plan in the speciality food sector by acquiring like-minded family-owned companies manufacturing or distributing craft/artisan/niche food products. The group companies will maintain their existing successful family values, company names, brands and quality of products whilst developing group synergies and encouraging local entrepreneurial initiatives to drive growth.

A benefit of this strategy for group companies is increased customer base, whilst reducing operating costs and additional capital expenditure. The strategic priority for all acquisitions is to deepen and broaden the range of products and expand the customer base.

The group operates in a decentralised way, whilst developing synergies and improving productivity through its collaborative approach across the group.

Sharing this expertise enables increased effectiveness and market reach through existing resources, allowing us to grow without increasing costs whilst at the same time, maintaining the high-quality, craft, luxury nature of our products.

BRANDING STRATEGY

Branding stratagy anchor

Panicium’s priority is to ensure that local brands and key customers are maintained and that customers and staff are reassured that there will be a continuation of the associated culture and service levels of businesses acquired by Panicium.

Over time, the Panicium brand will be introduced as an umbrella brand based on the unique, quality values that are already established in acquired companies.

This will be done in a way that maintains the integrity of the product brands whilst connecting the product range under an umbrella brands that reassures consumers of the taste, provenance and quality of every product.

WHO WE ARE

Who we Are

Graham Norfolk

Director

Graham is a chartered accountant, and the founder of Acorn Capital Partners a company specialising in private equity and investment.

Formerly he was a partner at BDO Stoy Hayward, the UK member of BDO International, where for 10 years he was responsible for corporate finance involving a range of corporate advisory services from management buy-outs to flotations.

He is a founder shareholder of: Kinaxia, a logistics buy and build with a turnover of £200m; Once Upon a Time, a marketing services buy and build with a turnover of £35m.

Graham specialises in taking an active role in the strategic direction of a business as both an investor and director. Recent successes include Accumuli an internet security business, Norskale a software company and Thermotech Group a mechanical services contractor.

Peter Fields

Director

Peter has a PhD in chemical engineering and spent 15 years with ICI plc working in a variety of senior management roles in research, production, sales and business management. Peter was called to the Bar in 2014 and also practices as a barrister.

In 1999, Peter led the management buy-out of a UK chemicals distributor and merged this with Azelis SA. He went on to implement a buy-and-build strategy to form a leading European specialty chemical distributor with a turnover in excess of €1 billion.

Having left Azelis in 2009, Peter has since worked as a chairman, entrepreneur and investor successfully developing companies in the chemicals, logistics, consumer and legal sectors. He is a founder shareholder of Kinaxia, a logistics buy and build with a turnover of £200m.