The owner of UK private-label poultry major 2 Sisters Food Group has acquired German peer Heidemark.
Ranjit Singh Boparan has struck the deal through his investment vehicle Boparan Private Office (BPO) for an undisclosed sum.
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Heidemark, a family-owned turkey and chicken processor based in Ahlhorn, Lower Saxony, will become part of Storteboom Food Group, which is also owned by BPO, according to a statement today (19 February).
The German business generates annual sales revenue of around €760m ($894.6m) and employs 2,300 staff across five sites. It supplies its own brand and also private label.
Heidemark will operate as an independent business within Storteboom Food, which is also a chicken and poultry processor in Zeewolde, the Netherlands.
Private-label supplier Storteboom Food has annual sales of around €1.2bn and has nine production and processing facilities in the Netherlands, Poland and Ireland. It employs around 3,500 staff.
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By GlobalDataBoparan, who is the chairman of BPO, said: “We are very pleased with this acquisition and would like to thank the Kalvelage family for entrusting us with the future growth of their business.
“The business fits perfectly into our overall ‘Next Gen’ group strategy, in which we aim to further develop the following areas of production: advanced automation, innovation, productivity, and net-zero sustainability.”
Heidemark’s management and executive team will remain in place, led by CEO Andres Ruff, along with the company’s name.
Ruff said: “With our expertise in turkey and our overall poultry strategy, this acquisition provides an excellent foundation for organic growth in continental Europe.
“Together, we want to further develop the poultry business. Heidemark’s current locations will be retained, while we plan further investments.”
The deal is subject to competition approval through the European Commission.
“Both companies expect a reasonable and swift conclusion within the framework of the statutory procedure,” according to the statement.
Christopher Kalvelage, the current owner of Heidemark, added: “The commitment that all employees will keep their jobs and that management will remain on board was very important to us. The new owner’s vision also greatly impressed us, the Kalvelage family.”
Veli Moluluo, the CEO of Storteboom Food, said the acquisition is “part of a long-term European strategy focused on sustainable capacity growth, expanding product innovation, and strengthening transparent supply chains”.
In other deals, Boparan rescued UK-based Roberts Bakery last year from the risk of going into administration. The billionaire businessman also acquired the company through BPO.
2 Sisters is now a predominately poultry processor and major private-label supplier to the UK’s major supermarkets following a number of asset disposals. Mr Boparan and his wife Baljinder are the sole shareholders via their holding company Boparan Holdings.
In 2022, BPO stepped in to save a bakery plant from closure – the Elkes Biscuits factory located in Uttoxeter in the English Midlands. At the time, the investment office also housed turkey supplier Bernard Matthews and restaurant chains Carluccios, Giraffe and Ed’s Easy Diner.
The same year, Banham Poultry in Norfolk in eastern England was added to the BPO portfolio of companies after clearance from the UK’s competition authority.
