Ross Group
| Company type | Private company (historical) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food processing, fishing, poultry |
| Founded | 1920 in Grimsby, England |
| Founder | Thomas Ross |
| Fate | Acquired by United Biscuits in 1988 |
| Headquarters | Grimsby , England, United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom, Europe (including Dutch market) |
Key people | Carl Ross (chairman and managing director from 1929) |
| Products | Fish, frozen foods, poultry, fresh produce, potato chips |
| Parent | United Biscuits (from 1988) |
The Ross Group originated as a British food enterprise established in 1920 in Grimsby, England.
The Ross name continues to hold a significant position within the retail frozen fish sector. David Ross, who co-founded and holds a major stake in the mobile retailer The Carphone Warehouse, is the grandson of J Carl Ross.
Beginning as a modest family-run fish merchant, Ross diversified into trawling, fish processing, and wider food processing activities, including factory farming. Through acquisitions, it became Europe's leading chicken producer by 1962. The company purchased its competitor Young's in 1959 and, following a series of mergers and reorganizations, eventually integrated into today's Young's Bluecrest, the foremost frozen fish company in the UK. The company's development is deeply connected to Grimsby's industrial growth.
Origins
Founded under the name Thomas Ross Ltd in 1920 at Grimsby, Carl Ross assumed the roles of chairman and managing director in 1929 after his father's retirement.
By the outbreak of World War II, Thomas Ross Ltd had established fish merchant branches not only in Grimsby but also in Leeds, Leicester, and Fleetwood.
Expansion into Trawling
Commencing with a fleet of four fishing vessels during the 1930s, Ross expanded its trawling operations starting in 1934. In 1944, it secured a major stake in Trawlers Grimsby, followed by acquisitions of fleets such as Queen Steam Fishing Company. Carl Ross took over GF Sleight Ltd in 1956, which employed some of Britain's leading trawler captains, and initiated shipbuilding at Cochrane Shipyards in Selby—famed for producing 'Cat' and 'Bird' class trawlers. The fleet further increased with the 1960/61 acquisition of Rinovia Steam Fishing Company. At its zenith, Ross possessed Europe's most extensive fishing fleet, comprising eight separate fleets along with its own shipyard. By the mid-1960s, it operated 65 ships, ranking as England’s second-largest fleet after Associated Fisheries.
Fleet Details
Noteworthy vessels within the Ross fleet included:
- Ross Tiger (February 1957 – Cat Class), the inaugural 'Cat Class' ship, now conserved at Grimsby's National Fishing Heritage Centre.
- Ross Leopard (October 1957 – Cat Class), which was later moored on the Thames before being dismantled in Ostend, Belgium by June 2020.
- Ross Jaguar (December 1957 – Cat Class), transformed into a three-masted schooner renamed 'Jaguar'.
- Ross Kashmir (1957 – K Class), which gained international fame as Rainbow Warrior II after succeeding Greenpeace’s original vessel in 1989.
- Ross Revenge (1960), repurposed as a radio broadcasting ship operated by Radio Caroline.
- Ross Cleveland, known for its role during the Hull triple trawler tragedy.
- Additional ships included Ross Cheater, Ross Renown, Ross Hawk, Reperio, and Reboundo.
Fish Processing Developments
In October 1953, George Dawson initiated imports of Icelandic fish despite facing opposition and regulatory prohibitions. A year later, in October 1954, Ross Group chartered the Norwegian vessel Norfrost to bring in £40,000 worth of halibut (approximately 150 tonnes), claimed at that time as the largest deep-sea fish catch worldwide. By the late 1950s, annual fish landings reached 100 million pounds. Formerly a subsidiary under Trawlers Grimsby, the company rebranded as Ross Group in March 1959 to unify all food-related products under this identity. In October 1965, it extended its reach into the Dutch market by launching Ross Diepvries in Breda through a partnership with Eurofrost NV.
Diversification
By the early 1960s, Ross Group had expanded its business portfolio to include poultry, as well as both frozen and fresh food products, alongside its established fish trawling and merchanting activities. Despite this diversification, fish trawling contributed merely around 5% of total revenue and consistently operated at a loss. Since 1948, the company managed a factory in Westwick, Norfolk focused on garden pea production; Ross fully acquired this facility in 1954 before selling it to United Biscuits in 1999, with ownership transferring to Heinz the following year. The company ventured into potato chip production in 1962. Significant acquisitions during this period included Grimsby Motors (June 1959), Sterling Poultry (May 1961), and Waterworth Brothers fruit shops (August 1964).
By the mid-1960s, Ross Group’s revenue streams were dominated by poultry, frozen foods, fish trawling and distribution, fresh produce excluding fish, motors and transport services, chemicals and agricultural support, as well as international ventures. Valued at £27 million in 1965, the group stood as the UK’s foremost fish distributor.
During the mid-1960s, an eleven-story headquarters costing £430,000 was constructed in Grimsby by Myton (a division of Taylor Woodrow). Named 'Ross House', it continues to serve as the headquarters for Young's Bluecrest and remains a notable feature on Grimsby’s southern fish docks.
Takeover
Following a boardroom conflict in 1965, Carl Ross departed from Ross Group, paving the way for Imperial Tobacco to assume control in September 1969 after making a £47.5 million bid on 6 August that year. Under Carl Ross’s leadership, the company had broadened its activities beyond fish to include non-fish food sectors such as frozen foods. While these non-fish segments experienced subsequent ownership changes, the Ross fishing fleet combined with Associated Fisheries to establish British United Trawlers on 2 April 1969 under the guidance of the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation. Ross had pursued acquisition of this entity on several occasions—with offers of £15.5 million in both 1961 and December 1965, and £17 million in January 1966—but these bids were blocked by the Monopolies Commission in May 1966.
By the 1970s, Britain’s top three frozen food manufacturers were Birds Eye (UK), Findus—which had inaugurated a Grimsby facility in June 1960—and Ross Group. In 1973, Findus and Ross recorded combined annual sales of £41 million, while Birds Eye led with £109 million. Ross Poultry contributed roughly £4 million per year through brands including Buxted (now based in Suffolk) and Premier Farm.
On 16 March 1988, United Biscuits completed the acquisition of Ross Group for £335 million.