(Reuters) - Premier Foods Plc (>> Premier Foods Plc), owner of Mr Kipling cakes, Bisto gravy and other British brands, said on Wednesday that it had appointed Keith Hamill as chairman.

Hamill currently is a non-executive director of Easyjet Plc (>> EasyJet) and Samsonite International S.A. (>> Samsonite International S.A.) and was chairman at the former Tullett Prebon, now part of voice brokerage TP ICAP Plc.

The company, which is under mounting pressure to improve the business after spurning a takeover offer last year from U.S. rival McCormick & Co (>> McCormick & Company, Incorporated), said Hamill will join the board on Oct. 1 as chairman designate and will be appointed chairman on Nov. 9.

The company had announced last September that David Beever would step down after nine years with the company and five years as its chairman.

In July, Premier Foods had reported 3 percent fall in sales for the 13 weeks to July 1 as a good performance by its Sweet Treats division was offset by a slowdown in sales for its branded grocery products, notably desserts.

(Reporting by Justin George Varghese in Bengaluru; editing by Jason Neely)