USA: Lidl targets 100 stores by 2020
Lidl, the discount retailer, has announced an ambition to open 100 stores in the USA by 2020, including a further 25 on the country’s east coast, as part of its expansion plans in the country. The German retailer, which already operates about 10,500 stores in 29 countries, plans to open stores in Maryland, New Jersey, […]
Spain: Brasmar acquires La Balinesa
Brasmar, a Portuguese seafood company, has announced it has acquired La Balinesa, a Spanish firm that produces smoked salmon, for an undisclosed sum. The Porto-based firm said the deal would underline its leadership position on the Portuguese market, expand its product range, and strengthen its footprint in Iberia as a whole. La Balinesa is described […]
USA: Boston Beer acquires Dogfish Head
Boston Beer, the owner of the Samuel Adams brand, has announced it has acquired Dogfish Head, a leading craft beer firm, for $300 million. In a press release, the two firms said the merger would create “a powerful American-owned platform for craft beer and beyond”. “The new entity will possess more than half a century […]
USA: B&G Foods acquires Clabber Girl
B&G Foods, the US owner of food brands such as Green Giant, has announced it is acquiring baking aids business Clabber Girl from Indiana-based wholesale supplier Hulman & Co for an undisclosed sum. The Clabber Girl product range includes baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cornflour marketed under brands such as Clabber Girl, Rumford, Davis, […]
Netherlands: KraftHeinz “buying back Utrecht plant over bankruptcy concerns”
KraftHeinz, the US consumer goods giant, is said to be buying back a plant it previously owned in Utrecht, Netherlands, reportedly over fears the factory was headed for bankruptcy. According to an article in Levensmiddelenkrant (quoting ANP), a trade union leader familiar with the matter said expected growth at the plant had not materialized, and 90 […]
UK: Dr. Oetker doubles capacity at Lancashire facility
Dr. Oetker, the Germany-based food firm, has completed a £30 million ($39 million) upgrade to its pizza manufacturing facility in Leyland, Lancashire, UK, according to a report in Business Lancashire. The site, which manufactures the firm’s Chicago Town and Ristorante pizza lines, has seen a doubling in total capacity with a new production line for the Chicago […]
USA: Hershey to expand Virginia plant
Hershey, the leading US confectionery firm, is investing $104 million to expand a production plant in Augusta County, VA, USA, according to a report in Area Development. Once expanded by 111,000 sq ft, the site will reportedly create 65 new jobs and be able to produce penuche (fudge-like confectionery) and peanut cream for distribution to other […]
Italy: Auchan divests subsidiary to Conad
Auchan, the French grocery retailer, is selling the entirety of its Italian subsidiary Auchan Retail Italia to the local retail cooperative Conad, according to a Reuters report. Auchan generated around €3.6 billion ($4.1 billion) in revenue from its 1,600-strong Italian store network last year. Commenting on the deal, an Auchan spokesperson is quoted as saying: “The […]
Germany: Beiersdorf buys Coppertone suncare brand
Beiersdorf, the German personal care heavyweight, has announced it has reached a deal to acquire the Coppertone suncare brand from chemicals firm Bayer for a purchase price of $550 million. Founded in 1944, Coppertone is described as the first sun care brand launched in the US market, and its product range is currently distributed in the […]
USA: Tyson Foods plans $300 million Utah production plant
Tyson Fresh Meats, a subsidiary of meat firm Tyson Foods, is investing almost $300 million to build a new meat production plant in Utah, USA, according to media reports. The new unit, which is to be built in the Salt Lake City area, will reportedly be a 400,000-square-foot case-ready plant which will take large cuts […]