A proposed acquisition by German food giant Dr. Oetker for the desserts and bakery business of Unilever’s Alsa unit in France has been cleared by competition authorities.
Dr. Oetker first announced the planned deal in February last year, which was expected to include the Alsa brand sold in France and other European markets, and north Africa. The company would also acquire a factory in the French town of Ludres.
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The French Competition Authority implied in a statement the clearance of the deal is subject to a caveat involving the licensing of Dr. Oetker’s Ancel desserts brand for five years, either to Alsa or another third party.
When contacted by just-food to clarify the terms of the deal, a spokesperson at Dr. Oetker would only say: “Dr. Oetker France welcomes the decision of the French Competition Authority validating the acquisition project of Alsa, a property of the Unilever group, and its brands Alsa and Moench. This acquisition also includes the takeover of the Alsa production site located in Ludres, in Lorraine.
“This project, which is fully in line with Dr. Oetker’s growth strategy, will be finalised in the coming weeks. Until then, no additional information will be communicated.”
When the proposed deal was announced last year, Didier Muller, the general manager of Dr. Oetker’s business in France, said: “Alsa is a brand whose know-how and product quality perfectly complement our product range. Our goal is to pursue the brand’s growth and development both in France and internationally, based on its know-how and innovation capabilities.”
Dr. Oetker has been hot on the acquisition trail with a number of deals in the past year or so. Last September, it announced it would acquire the US cake decorating and baking brand Wilton, after taking over Egyptian bakery business Tag El Melouk during the summer.
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By GlobalDataAnd almost a year ago, it formed a joint venture with Bavarian dairy producer Molkerei Gropper, and also took a minority stake in local cake maker InterNestor. And at the end of 2017, the company also snapped up Belgium-based bakery supplier Diversi Foods following its expansion in the Mexican market with a deal for baking company Grupo Rexal.
