A debt-ridden firm tries to breathe new life into old brands
Bought by a private- equity group in the late 1990s, Premier was re-listed on the stockmarket in 2004. It then went on a buying spree, taking advantage of cheap credit to acquire branded-food veterans such as Oxo and Bachelors. Bulking up would mean the firm could not be pushed around by the big supermarket chains when bargaining over prices, it was thought. As brands are often cheaper to buy than to build, Premier went shopping.
