UK: SABMiller to buy Meantime Brewing Company – reports
Leading brewer SABMIller is to buy the London-based craft beer producer Meantime Brewing Company to meet growing consumer demand for craft beers, according to a report from Reuters. Meantime saw volume sales surge 58% in 2014, compared with just 1% Britain’s beer market as a whole, Reuters adds. The terms and conditions of the deal, […]
Netherlands: Jacobs Douwe Egberts venture receives conditional approval
The European Commission has announced that it has conditionally approved the proposed creation of a joint venture between D.E. Master Blenders 1753 B.V. (DEMB) and Mondelez International Inc. The new joint “pure-play” company to be known as Jacobs Douwe Egberts was announced by the two companies in May of last year. Among the conditions for […]
Belgium: Delhaize Group in merger talks with Royal Ahold
Belgium-based European grocery chain Delhaize Group has confirmed that it is in preliminary talks with Dutch rival Royal Ahold over a possible merger deal. In a brief statement, the two companies said that they had held discussions “to explore the opportunity of combining the two companies”. According to reports in CNBC and the Wall St Journal, […]
France: Nestle Waters receives purchase offer for Quezac water brand
Nestle Waters has received an offer for the purchase of its subsidiary Nestle Waters Supply Center that operates the source of Quezac mineral water in France, according to a report in LSA. The purchase offer for the Quezac source, which is located in Ispagnac, Lozere, has been made by entrepeneur Eric Besson. The mooted sale […]
Portugal: Iglo opens “house of flavours” to showcase product range
Frozen food specialist Iglo is opening a new ‘restaurant’ concept to showcase how its product range can be used to create ‘home-prepared’ dinners. Dubbed the “Casa dos Sabores” or “House of Flavours”, the space is being opened in the month of May to host a total of 25 ‘dinner parties’ based on Iglo products. Winning […]
UK: Nestle to launch new Aero Mousse chocolate bar
Nestle is expanding its offer under the Aero brand with the addition of a new Aero Mousse variety that is described as featuring “two different textures within one bite” and aims to provide an indulgent treat “that goes beyond the norm”. The bars are said to be designed to appeal to women who are constantly […]
Germany: Unilever opens first store dedicated to the Dove brand
FMCG multinational Unliever has opened its first retail outlet dedicated to its leading health & beauty brand Dove, according to a report in the Hamburger Abendblatt Located inside the German and Swiss headquarters of Unilever at Hafen City in Hamburg, the store will be the first of its kind to be open to the general […]
Finland: Atria to acquire Aalbaek Specialiteter
Finnish food company Atria has announced is acquiring the business operations of Aalbaek Specialiteter A/S, Denmark’s largest manufacturer of organic cold cuts. Aalbaek Specialiteter was founded in 1920 and is now one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of organic meat products including cold cuts, pates and bacon. Atria said the purchase was aimed at strengthing Atria’s […]
Ireland: Valeo Foods to acquire Italian cake brand Balconi
Irish firm Valeo Foods, owner of the international bicuit brand Jacob’s, is to acquire the Italian cake company Balconi in a deal worth about €200 million ($223 million), according to an article in the Irish Times. Dublin-based Valeo will buy 80% of the Italian firm from the private equity firm Clessidra and 20% from Balconi, […]
Turkey: Yildiz Holding to sell dairy firm AK Gida to Lactalis
Yildiz Holding, the largest food group in Turkey, has made an agreement to sell its AK Gida dairy unit to French food giant Lactalis. According to local reports, Lactalis will take an 80% stake in Istanbul-based AK Gida at an estimated value of $800m and Yildiz’s stake will decrease from 33% to 10%. Speaking to […]