uac of nigeria plc has remained, for over a century, a foremost private enterprise and a leader in the economic advancement of the country. A leading diversified company, uacn operations straddles the manufacturing, services logistics and warehousing and real estates sectors of the economy.
uacn's business strategy has continued to emphasize growth and profitability. For the 12-month period, January to December, 2006 for example, uacn posted a turnover of N 28.4 billion and a gross Profit of N 3.058 billion. Tax paid to the government for the period was N 1.074 billion, while the company's earning per share was 249 kobo and dividend per share 100 kobo.
The company's vision “To be Number One in our Chosen markets, providing exceptional value to our customers” and the Mission Statement “to experience the thrill of adding value to lives and businesses by being a superior convenience provider” continues to propel the realization of the corporate goals.
uacn's strategic focus has led to the emergency of the company as a ‘food-focused conglomerate'. To this end, the company embarked on the re-aigning of its food business architecture to unlock the values inherent in the various operations and achieve superior performance. In line with the initiative, the food business is now operated by the following units: uac franchising, uac restaurants, uac Dairies and uac Foods.
uac Franchising takes charge of marketing, sub-franchising, brand standards, intellectual property development, brand performance analysis, menu engineering, and development projects/training roll out, central kitchen unit recipes, supplier accreditation and approval as these relate to all the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) brands.
uac Restaurants operates all the restaurant brands – Mr Bigg's, Nando's, Luv dat Chicken, Creamy Inn, Must be the Pizza, Dial-a-delivery and Village Kitchen. The business unit also is in charge of maintaining profitability, crew motivation, operational strategy, repairs and maintenance of stores and procurement of general items.
uac Foods is responsible for the manufacturing of snacks and CKU management at multiple location and supply to the restaurants chain while uac Dairies manages the ice cream business and new initiatives in the dairy-related categories.
The strategy for the food business also targets the conversion of existing restaurant locations to “Food Courts” – where a combination of the food brands are served - not only to enhance revenue growth but respond fast enough to the changing landscape, industry, competition and business in the QSR sector.
The company, through Mr Biggs is, indisputably, the country's leader in the Quick Service Restaurant operations. Mr Biggs, has over 180 restaurants has four restaurants located in Accra and Kumasi in Ghana. uacn's dominance of the QSR segment has been boosted with the presence of international QSR brands including Nando's, Luv dat chicken, Creamy Inn, Must be the Pizza and Dial-a-delivery.
The Company's investment in uacn Property Development Company Plc (UPDC), the first company in the real sector to be quoted on the stock exchange, has continued to yield dividends. UPDC is a composite real estate company providing solutions in the area of property development and management.
uacn also has 76.01% equity interest in Warm Spring Waters Nigeria Limited (WSWNL), producer of “GOSSY” Warmspring Water. The bottling plant is located in Ikogosi-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The company has a 64% equity interests in Grand Cereals and Oil Mills Limited (GCL); 94.80% equity interest in Spring Waters Nigeria Limited (SWAN) and 40% equity interest in Opticom Leasing Company Limited. uacn interests include 50.09% shareholding in CAP Plc, 100% ownership of uac Registrars Limited and 60% equity in GM Nigeria Limited as a joint venture with General Motors Corporation of Detroit USA (30%) equity the world's largest automobile manufacturer. Following the new pensions reforms in the country, uacn has registered UNICO CPFA Limited, as a subsidiary of the Company.
uacn's Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives target the educational sector through interventionist programmes that seek to uplift the standards in the sector and provide a more conducive atmosphere for sound academic attainment. The company's pilot School's Support Projects have led to the provision of various infrastructural assistance and facilities assistance and facilities to schools in some of the geo-political zones of the country.
The Company has, over the years, directed its Corporate Social responsibility initiatives towards assisting communities, institutions and charitable organisations. Under the company's Higher Education Scholarship Scheme, thirty open scholarships are awarded annually to students attending Nigerian Universities and to children of uacn employees.
Additionally, the company has a Secondary School Scholarship scheme, introduced over 50 years ago, which is open to both children of serving and retired staff of the company.
Today, about forty of such awards are made annually. Further more, most of its divisions and subsidiaries offer vacation jobs and industrial attachments to students in higher institutions of learning, enabling them to obtain practical experience in a wide range of business and technical skills.
uacn's enduring drive for sustainable growth has been reinforced with a new drive for “Executional Excellence” as the company forges ahead to create value for its stakeholders.
CULLED FROM FINANCIAL STANDARD
2007 BRANDS OF THE YEAR OF MONDAY, 11TH FEBRUARY, 2008
