Arla Foods - food industry company news 
UK: Arla sells Crediton Dairy milk drinks business
24 May 2013
Arla Foods has offloaded UK milk drinks operation Crediton Dairy to a group of executives who worked for the unit's previous owner, Milk Link.
BRICs and beyond: Hard-headed Danone makes fresh China yoghurt foray
22 May 2013
Danone is to make another attempt to tap into the booming demand for fresh dairy products in China. The French food group is teaming up with Chinese dairy giant Mengniu, the largest yoghurt producer in the country. However, the two companies' previous attempt as a venture ended after just a year. Can Danone succeed this time? Dean Best reports.
CHINA: Arla positive about Mengniu's Danone JV
22 May 2013
Arla Foods has insisted there is "no conflict" between its venture with Mengniu and the Chinese dairy's planned new partnership with Danone.
CHINA: Danone, China's Mengniu try again with dairy JV
20 May 2013
Danone and Chinese dairy Mengniu have announced plans to set up a dairy venture in China - five years after a similar agreement ended in just 12 months.
CHINA: Mengniu takes stake in China Modern Dairy
8 May 2013
China Mengniu Dairy has agreed to buy 26.9% stake in local rival China Modern Dairy in a deal worth US$410m, as it looks improve the security of its milk supply.
BRICs and beyond: International SMEs testing the water at Hofex
7 May 2013
The rapidly expanding Chinese food sector has long been a focus for multinationals looking beyond developed western markets for expansion. However, it isn't just the international food Goliaths - with big bucks to spend on M&A or organic expansion - that are looking to China for growth. just-food caught up with some smaller enterprises hoping to tame the dragon at Hong Kong trade show Hofex - an event that prides itself of being the largest of its kind in Asia.
UPDATE: RUSSIA: Arla Foods Artis acquisition "natural step" - Arla
3 May 2013
Arla Foods has indicated its move to take full control of its Russian joint venture is a "natural step" as it looks to drive rapid growth in the market.
RUSSIA: Arla takes control of Russian JV
3 May 2013
Arla Foods has purchased the 25% stake that it did not already own in its Russian joint venture, Arla Foods Artis, bringing full control of the Russian business into the hands of the Danish dairy giant.
Best bits: Unilever likely to stick with spreads
1 May 2013
What will Unilever do with its spreads business? After that part of the company's portfolio was a factor in first-quarter sales that missed analyst expectations, the question has returned to the minds of some in the investment community. Dean Best thinks they will stick with the division.
UK: Arla launches flavoured milk brand Wing-Co.
25 April 2013
Arla Foods has launched a flavoured dairy drink, Wing-Co., in the UK as it looks to build value in the dairy category.
UPDATE: NORWAY: Orkla "open" to snacks M&A
8 April 2013
Nordic consumer goods group Orkla has said the new CEO of its recently-formed confectionery and snacks business will look at potential M&A opportunities.
NORWAY: Arla exec Aberg to lead Orkla's snacks business
8 April 2013
Norwegian conglomerate Orkla has appointed Arla Foods executive, Christer Åberg, as CEO of its confectionery and snacks business.
Interview: IFE: Arla to ramp up investment in UK dairy
21 March 2013
For all the positive publicity around dairy exports, the UK dairy sector is facing some significant challenges. The domestic market is dominated by low-value own label liquid milk sales, while underinvestment means that UK producers and manufacturers operate at a competitive disadvantage to their European peers. However, Arla Foods plans to tackle these issues head-on. Arla UK vice president of marketing Ash Amirahmadi spoke to just-food on the group's plans to ramp up investment in the UK, including the launch of a new liquid milk brand.
UK: Arla, milk suppliers to "define roadmap" to ownership
15 March 2013
Arla Foods and UK supplier group Arla Foods Milk Partnership have entered into talks in a bid to define how AFMP members can join Arla's existing farmer-shareholders in ownership of the co-operative.
Editor's choice: the highlights on just-food last week
11 March 2013
In a week of results from major retailers, Carrefour cheered the market with improvement in France, upmarket UK grocer Waitrose highlighted its strong year and Belgium's Delhaize insisted its business in the US would improve. Elsewhere across the Atlantic, meat processor Smithfield Foods faced calls from a major investor to consider dividing in three.
The just-food interview - Arla Foods CFO Frederik Lotz
4 March 2013
European dairy processor Arla Foods had a bumper 2012, with sales and profits up. And its operations in emerging markets played a part in boosting its top and bottom lines. Dean Best spoke with Arla CFO Frederik Lotz about the company's ambitions in emerging markets as it battles stiff competition for rising dairy consumption in markets like China from its European peers.
CANADA: Arla recalls Mauri Gorgonzola on listeria fears
27 February 2013
Arla Foods has initiated a recall of its Mauri branded Gorgonzola cheese after tests detected low levels of Listeria monocytogenes.
DENMARK: M&A, emerging markets boost Arla in 2012
20 February 2013
Acquisitions and growth in markets outside the EU have helped dairy giant Arla Foods report higher annual sales and profits.
just-food's outlook for 2013: Mega deals unlikely as consolidation continues
31 January 2013
There may be caution over the prospect for blockbuster deals in a dilapidated economic environment, but the food sector mergers and acquisitions table still has plenty to whet the appetite.
UK/DENMARK: Arla to build Denmark lactose facility
23 January 2013
Arla Foods Ingredients has revealed plans to invest EUR120m (US$160.1m) in the establishment of a lactose manufacturing facility in Denmark.
Best bits: Food industry faces structural challenge
14 January 2013
Last week, a number of the challenges facing food manufacturers and retailers were once again thrown into sharp relief. The industry continued to grapple with the cyclical difficulties of a down global economy and weak consumer sentiment. However, a number of structural issues that, in some respects, represent the greater threat are also becoming increasingly evident.
BRICS and beyond: Arla Foods plans emerging markets leap
11 January 2013
Growing competition for space in key emerging markets appears to have convinced Arla Foods that it needs to act now if it is to secure a market for its milk supplies beyond 2015.
UPDATE: DENMARK: Arla Foods wants fifth of sales from emerging markets
11 January 2013
Arla Foods has told just-food its new strategic plan calls for it to double the proportion of dairy sales derived from emerging markets by 2017.
DENMARK: Arla Foods debuts new strategy, focus on emerging markets
11 January 2013
Arla Foods has said it aims to double ingredients sales in the next five years as part of a new business strategy designed to increase the dairy co-operative's presence in emerging markets.
UK: Arla Foods to lose former Milk Link CEO Kennedy
11 January 2013
The former CEO of Milk Link, Neil Kennedy, has said his decision to leave his role at new parent firm Arla Foods has nothing to do with the dairy giant's strategy for the recently-acquired business.
UK: Arla Milk Link price cut "bitter blow"
9 January 2013
News that Arla Milk Link is cutting its farmgate milk price will come as a "bitter and unacceptable" blow to its farmer suppliers, the National Farmers Union has warned.
just-food review of 2012: M&A revival but caution hinders big deals
19 December 2012
There were, despite continued economic uncertainty in many Western markets and concerns over slowing growth in the East, signs that M&A activity rebounded in the food sector this year. However, a look at just-food's M&A coverage this year shows there have been few big-ticket, transformational deals.
The just-food review of 2012: industry makes progress on CSR
18 December 2012
From a sustainability standpoint, 2012 might be characterised as a year when the world went backwards - or at a pinch stayed still - but the food industry moved forward, writes Ben Cooper.
The ten most-read interviews on just-food in 2012
18 December 2012
just-food's interviews with senior executives in the international food sector provide exclusive insight into how the leading lights in the industry deal with the challenges and embrace the opportunities in front of them. This year, the most-read interviews on just-food included one-on-ones with companies from General Mills and Heinz to Russian retail giant Magnit to the UK government minister responsible for food policy.
The most-read comment from just-food in 2012
18 December 2012
just-food does not shy away from commenting on the major developments and issues in the industry and this year its focus centred on issues from traffic-light labels to sustainability, on deals like Kellogg's takeover of Pringles and Arla Foods' latest venture in China.
