To say the Scottish-based frozen food discounter Farmfoods plays its cards close to its chest would be something of an understatement. The company may well be the number one privately owned retailer in the UK, but that doesn't mean it wants to shout about it. Founded in 1954 in Aberdeen, the freezer centre operator has kept a relatively low profile right from the start. It may have stores around the country, and may invest heavily in marketing such as leaflet drops and TV advertising, but chances are many in the trade won't know much about Farmfoods. However, that hasn't hindered the firm's taking top spot in our listing of privately owned grocery retailers with a staggering turnover of £199m. The company is still quite small compared with some of the other discounters, but it is growing rapidly, having doubled in size over the past 10 years to about 230 stores and 1,960 employees. And it is still keen to develop more sites. Geoffrey Malloy, chairman of the UK Association of Frozen Food Producers, says: "Farmfoods is successful because it has found its niche, both in socio economic groups and geographically. It will be interesting to see where the chain goes." The company's stores are simplistic affairs, brightly painted and well lit with clear, concise signage to highlight low price points. And this is the reason for its success according to one supplier. He says: "Without sounding disrespectful, Farmfoods keeps retailing pretty simple. It knows its key price points in frozen food and sells a lot of products at 99p. It has also expanded its own label range. Farmfoods is very aggressive on price and price promotions." He adds: "My view is that the chain is successful because of its good value proposition which is being driven by its aggressive price promotion." Alf Carr, director general of the British Frozen Food Federation, agrees that the key to Farmfoods' success has been the simplicity of its operation. "The chain has managed to target a specific type of shopper and has placed shops in locations that enable those shoppers to easily access them. "There are still groups of people in society who have to watch what they spend and Farmfoods offers a great opportunity to feed those families who want good quality food on a limited budget. That's what Farmfoods do well. I would describe the chain as ultra professional." {{FEATURES }}