AIMIA Q&A Family takes the reins at AIMIA Foods


AIMIA Foods has entered a new chapter with its recent family- led reacquisition. In this Q&A, shareholder Gary Unsworth shares insights into why the family decided to take this step, what it means for staff, customers and partners, and how he sees the business evolving in a competitive marketplace


Chai and John Farrer, the coffee roaster. We also liked the fact the management team oozed quality and was largely unchanged from when we sold it 10 years earlier. Robert did the heavy lifting for this one and dealt with Primo, our advisors, and arranged the bank debt we needed to re-acquire.


The Unsworth family, Ian Unsworth, Rob Unsworth and Gary Unsworth have taken back ownership of Aimia Foods


Give a brief introduction to the Unsworth family business including your previous involvement with Aimia? My brother Ian and I founded Independent Vending Supplies (IVS) in 1981, the forerunner to what became Nichols Foods and subsequently Aimia Foods. I ran the business as Managing Director both prior to Nichols Plc acquiring the business in 1986 and up until I became Group Managing Director of Nichols Plc in 1999. In 2004, the family bought the business


back from Nichols Plc and we became a proper family business again. Ian and I were joined with my wife Jackie, son Robert, and Ian’s daughter Fiona. Robert led the business from 2008, whilst Ian and myself gradually became less involved. In 2014 we sold the business to Cott Corporation (now renamed Primo Water Corporation).


What are the latest developments for your business? Aimia Foods always had a special place in the family’s heart, and when Primo announced publicly in November 2023 that they were reviewing their strategic options and would consider a disposal, we were very keen to engage with them. In the 10-year period prior to reacquisition, we followed the business closely and admired it from afar as it undertook a number of acquisitions, including Horlicks, Drink me


12 | vendinginternational-online.com


we re-acquired that the business would continue to be run by Paul and his team, and the business strategy would remain. Robert would play a supporting role as Chairman but would not be involved in the day-to-day running of the business. Robert has four children, so it is certainly not impossible that some of them will have a role to play in the future running of the business. One of my other grandchildren, Sophie, is currently spending a year in the business before completing her marketing degree.


What does the reacquisition mean for the service you offer, and what, if any, organisational changes will follow from the reacquisition? We were very clear with the management team, headed by Paul Whitlow, that there would be very little operational change arising from the acquisition. We communicated to staff on the day


What is your growth strategy going forwards? Generally, across the business we are very focused on driving our branded sales. This includes our own trade brands that we sell into the “Out Of Home” channel such as Milfresh, Freshers and Café Nueva and also brands that we sell into the “Retail” channel such as Horlicks, Bubbleology (Bubble Tea) and Drink me Chai. Within vending, the strategy involves gaining a deeper understanding of  There may be gaps in some of our product  this over the next 12 months with some NPD. Generally, we are keen to gain a wider basket of products to all our key customers. As ever, our focus on customer satisfaction is the cornerstone of everything we do.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24