Irish food group confirms German acquisition
As mentioned in the latest edition of our Market Intelligence newsletter, the Vion Food Group has agreed deals to sell assets in Germany.
In April, it sold plants at Crailsheim in Baden-Württemberg and at Waldkraiburg in Bavaria, to Boeser Frischfleisch GmbH and OSI Europe Foodworks GmbH, respectively.
It has now agreed the sale of another plant in Bavaria, its site at Buchloe, to Ireland-based ABP Group.
The Crailsheim site specialises in processing pigs, with a capacity for around 1 million head per year. But it also processes 95,000 head of cattle per year. The capacity at Waldkraiburg is of more than 160,000 cattle per year, while the Buchloe site has a capacity of 90,000 head of cattle per year.
Vion Food Group said each of these sales is subject to antitrust approval and that it was in negotiation to sell its remaining German locations and businesses as part of a “strategic realignment”.
Chief executive of ABP, Frank Stephenson, said: “We are delighted that the group is set to enter the German beef processing industry via the planned acquisition of Vion Buchloe. Over the coming months, we look forward to working with the team at Vion to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for farmer suppliers, colleagues and customers. Post acquisition, it will be very much business as usual with a commitment to building on Vion Buchloe’s well established tradition and reputation for high-quality Bavarian red meat products.”
