Italy: Barilla to invest €1 billion in expansion bid

Italian food producer Barilla has announced that the company is investing €1 billion ($1.09 billion) in a bid to expand both domestically and internationally.

According to an article in Corriere Della Sera, the company is intending to allocate half of the total to its Italian business, boosting its competitive position and assisting efforts at internationalization.

In addition, Barilla is claimed to be planning a new base in the Netherlands from which it can strengthen its presence in key overseas markets, with a focus on sauces, pesto, and oven-cooked products alongside pasta.

The investment will be used not only to expand production capacity, but also to upgrade IT infrastructure, streamline product innovation, and improve quality standards.

€16 million ($17.4 million) will also apparently be allocated to create a new research and development centre in Parma, the company’s headquarters.

Source: Corriere Della Sera