Around Noon lands Whiterock investment to scale across UK and Ireland
What's the deal? Newry-headquartered food-to-go manufacturer Around Noon has secured a minority equity investment from WhiterockDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s Growth Capital Fund to fuel expansion across the UK and Ireland. The exact deal size was not disclosed.
Founded more than 35 years ago by the Chambers family, Around Noon makes sandwiches, wraps, salads, breakfast items, snack pots, and bakery products. It supplies over four million products per month to convenience and supermarket retail, contract catering, travel, education, and coffee sectors. The company operates from sites in Newry, North London, and Slough, employing around 800 people.
In its 2024 trading year, Around Noon grew sales to more than £81M — but swung from a pre-tax profit of roughly £1.1M in 2023 to a loss of about £1.4M.
"We see huge growth opportunities in the UK and Ireland, and taking on equity backing will be incredibly helpful to us in being able to scale significantly," said chief executive Gareth Chambers.
Why now? Around Noon has built significant revenue but is at a stage where organic cash flow alone may not support the next leg of growth. Whiterock, established in Northern Ireland more than 14 years ago to address local funding gaps, has deployed over £150M to date — leveraging a further £100M from other funders. Its model pairs capital with board-level involvement to help management teams scale.
What could go wrong? The company's recent swing to a £1.4M pre-tax loss raises questions about margin pressure in a sector known for tight economics and high input costs. Scaling food manufacturing across multiple sites adds operational complexity, and the UK food-to-go market is fiercely competitive.
The signal: Dealroom classifies Around Noon as a mature-stage business, yet it is only now taking on external equity — a sign that even established food manufacturers need growth capital to compete at scale in the UK's crowded food-to-go market. Whiterock FinanceDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s involvement as an investment fund focused on Northern Irish businesses highlights a growing ecosystem of local growth capital filling gaps that mainstream venture and private equity funds often overlook.
Read more: irishnews.com
