Agrial, the French agri-food major, is in talks to buy two SME charcuterie suppliers, deals that would follow two acquisitions in the sector in 2017.
The co-op is in discussions to acquire two cooked-meats suppliers: La Bresse, which is based in Servas in southern France; and Sibert, which is located 280km (174 miles) further north in Loyettes, near the city of Lyon. Agrial said both firms were managed by a businessman called Yves Serfaty.
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In 2017, Agrial bought Brittany charcuterie firms Brient and Tallec. Announcing today (3 September) the talks to snap up La Bresse and Sibert, Agrial said the two potential new acquisitions “mark a new stage in the development of Agrial’s meats division”.
The co-op said: “The objective is to continue to build of a meats branch made up of SMEs with recognised know-how and offering premium quality products.”
La Bresse and Sibert are “specialised in the manufacture and marketing of cooked meats”, Agrial said, including black pudding and andouillettes [French sausages]. In 2018, the combined turnover of both companies was “close to EUR20m (US$21.9m)”. They had a workforce of 130 employees.
By contrast, when Agrial announced the plans to buy Brient and Tallec, it said those companies were generating turnover of EUR65m and EUR37m respectively.
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By GlobalDataStéphane Poyac, the director of Agrial’s meats division, said: “These acquisition projects should allow us to strengthen our positions in processed meats in France, particularly in the pudding and ham categories. We are continuing to lay the foundations of a meat branch that makes sense for
the members of the cooperative.”
In 2018, Agrial’s overall meat business generated sales of EUR480m, with 420 farmer-members rearing pigs, 170 in poultry and 45 supplying eggs. The co-op’s total sales stood at EUR5.8bn, up 6.5% on a year earlier.
