Findus is a frozen food brand which was first sold in Sweden in 1945. Findus products include ready meals, peas and Crispy Pancakes, the latter of which were invented in the early 1970s.
The Swiss food company Nestlé owned the Findus brand from 1962 to 2000; it sold the rights to the brand in most of Europe in 2000 whilst retaining ownership in Switzerland.
As of 2013 Findus Group (formerly known as Foodvest and owned by Lion Capital LLP, Highbridge Capital Management and JPMorgan Chase) owns the Findus brand in most of Europe including the Nordic countries, France, Spain and the United Kingdom. In Italy, the brand is owned by Iglo Group and markets a range similar to that sold under the Iglo and Birds Eye brands in the rest of Europe.
In November of 2015 Nomad Foods Limited has completed its acquisition of Findus Sverige AB and its subsidiaries from LionGem Sweden 1 AB, a company backed by a group of investors including Highbridge Principal Strategies, Lion Capital LLP and Sankaty Advisors, for approximately GBP 500 million (USD 771.2 million).
The acquisition includes Findus Group's continental European businesses in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, France, Spain, and Belgium, as well as the intellectual property and commercialisation rights to the Findus, Lutosa, and La Cocinera brands in the respective markets. The acquired operations include approximately 1,500 employees and 6 manufacturing facilities.