Premier Foods Plc. (PFODF)

[genlou]

Premier Foods, the target of a recent takeover approach by US spice-maker McCormick, said it had “a strong future” as an independent company, albeit through a deepening relationship with Japan’s Nissin Foods, as it reported a 3.5 per cent rise in underlying full-year pre-tax profits.

Gavin Darby, chief executive, pointed to sales growth of 3.4 per cent at six of Premier’s eight biggest brands, despite deflation and falling UK grocery prices, as evidence of the group’s momentum.