Ready meals firm eyes stock market flotation

AN Edinburgh firm focused on providing ready meals for “baby boomer+” customers – people aged 60 and older who it believes are underserved in this market – plans to float on the Alternative Investment Market, writes Ian Mcconnell.

Based in Edinburgh, Parsley Box was founded in March 2017 by husband and wife Gordon and Adrienne Macaulay. It notes this launch followed “the couple’s discovery of limited options for delivery of ready meals for Gordon’s mother”. The firm, led by chief executive Kevin Dorren with high-profile entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl as chairman and Adrienne Macaulay as chief product officer, noted it provides a “growing range of quick and simple ambient ready meals which require no refrigeration and have a shelf life of up to six months”.

It declared the “baby boomer+” demographic “is growing rapidly”, represented around 24% of the UK population, 16.2 million people, in 2019 and “is the only age demographic that is forecast to grow materially in the next 10 years”.

Parsley Box delivers around 900,000 products per month. Best sellers include cottage pie, lamb hotpot, lasagne, beef stew, and sweet and sour chicken.

The flotation is expected to include some realisation for current shareholders, as well as the raising of new money.