Frozen food distributor Central Foods has moved into the top 50 businesses in the annual Northamptonshire Limited list which ranks the performance of 100 private businesses in the county.

Compiled by accountants Grant Thornton and law firm Howes Percival, the list puts Central Foods at number 48 – up 20 places on last year’s ranking.

The Collingtree-based firm has also been listed at number ten in the top 50 ‘ones to watch’ fastest growing businesses category.

Central Foods MD Gordon Lauder said:

“We are thrilled to have moved so far up the list of top 100 private businesses in Northamptonshire, and to also be considered in the top ten ‘ones to watch’. This reflects the hard work, skill and commitment of our team."

“We founded Central Foods in Northamptonshire in 1996 and it’s been our home ever since."

"We’re now the leading frozen food consolidator operating across the UK, supplying a wide range of frozen food to the UK food service sector, but we are proud to have our base in Northamptonshire and are delighted to have once again been recognised in the Northamptonshire Limited list."

“The list features many worthy and exciting businesses who we are very pleased to be alongside, and it’s with great pride that we see ourselves gradually moving up the rankings.”

Central Foods was first included in the top 100 list in 2017 and has gradually climbed higher each time a report is published.

Northamptonshire Limited is part of an annual series of business analysis which seeks to highlight and celebrate some of Northamptonshire’s most successful, privately owned businesses, by turnover, and provide them with the recognition they deserve for their contribution to the region and wider UK economy.

It was compiled using the most recent publicly available accounts, as of 16th October 2023, of Northamptonshire’s private businesses. The report shows that the top 100 privately owned businesses in the Northamptonshire Limited list had a combined turnover of £10bn.

Central Foods is proud to be a catering partner across the whole food service sector, supplying to hotels, restaurants, bars, universities, schools, pubs, care homes, garden centres, leisure outlets and more. It currently sells to over 180 independent wholesalers, as well as larger national and regional wholesalers.