• Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal marks 100 years of food production at Wisbech with a plaque unveiling  

• Since 1925, Princes’ Wisbech factory has been integral to UK food production and local community growth, reflecting the company’s regional ties 

• The Princess Royal joined His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Princes CEO, and local school competition winners to celebrate the milestone 

In honour of 100 years of food production at its Wisbech factory, UK leading food and drink company Princes Group welcomed Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to commemorate the occasion.  

Her Royal Highness joined employees and members of the community earlier today in unveiling a plaque, marking the heritage of canning in the town, followed by speeches from key members of the business. 

This milestone marks a significant day for Princes Group, recognising the continued legacy of the Wisbech factory, which began in 1925 when Samuel Smedley pioneered canned fruit production in the UK. Following this period, the factory, known as the Smedley’s, has supported generations of local families with employment and growth. 

Today, Princes is proud to maintain its deep-rooted ties with the community, producing over one billion cans of branded and own-brand food annually across Wisbech and its sister factory in Long Sutton. 

The Royal Visit brought together community leaders, including His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire Mrs. Julie Spence, who formally greeted Her Royal Highness.  

Princes representatives were also present, including CEO of Princes, Simon Harrison, Chief Commercial Officer of Princes, Mr Giuseppe Mastrolia, Chief Operating Officer of the Food and Drink Federation, Nick Pink, and General Manager of the Wisbech factory, Paul Hendrie.  

Simon Harrison, CEO at Princes Group, said, “Today marks a huge milestone for Princes and the Wisbech community. Her Royal Highness’s visit affirms the important role the Wisbech factory has played in shaping the local community and cultural heritage over the past century. As we commemorate 100 years of food production, we also reaffirm our dedication to food production, sustainability and innovation, ensuring that the legacy of this factory continues to thrive for future generations.” 

The commemoration of the Wisbech centenary was first celebrated in July 2025, when the factory launched a creative competition for local school children to design can labels. The three winners of the competition were previously invited for a factory tour and had their designs printed on Princes canned food.  

About Princes  

With a global supply network, a portfolio of household favourite brands and a leading position in the manufacture of customer own label products, Princes is one of the UK’s largest food and drink groups.  

Established as a seafood importing business in 1880, Princes specialises in sourcing and manufacturing quality products, with a mission of “Proudly producing authentic and affordable, high quality store cupboard essentials from across the world”. As a leading international grocery supplier, millions of consumers across the UK, Europe and across the world enjoy Princes brands and products every day. 

Headquartered in its original home city of Liverpool, Princes operates eleven  manufacturing sites in and around the UK, producing food, edible oils and soft drinks. The company also operates international facilities for processing tomatoes and pasta (Italy), tuna (Mauritius) and oils (Poland), with commercial sites across the globe. 

Princes manufactures hundreds of different food and drink products under private label and the Group’s owned brands. These include the iconic Princes brand, Napolina, the UK’s number one Italian cooking brand, British soup producer, Crosse & Blackwell and iconic Crisp N Dry oil among others. 

Princes also manufactures and distributes branded products under license, including Branston Beans, Olivio oil, Swizzles squash. Following Newlat Food S.P.A’ acquisition of the company in 2024, Princes now also manages and operates food manufacturer Symington’s, including its brands Chicken Tonight, Ragu, Naked Noodles and Mug Shots. Newlat have subsequently renamed themselves as NewPrinces Group 

Princes sources quality products and ingredients from more than 40 countries, collaborates with 600 raw material suppliers, and employs approximately 8,000 people across the globe. 

For press enquiries and high-res images, please contact princescorporate@webershandwick.com