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Market |
Food and Drink |
Report Type |
Market Research |
Country |
Spain |
Published |
5 March 2010 |
Number of Pages |
72 |
Download |
|
Immediate |
|
Publisher |
Business Monitor International |
The Spanish dairy industry is currently experiencing a flurry of M&A activity as part of the ongoing consolidation process across the European dairy sector. French dairy group Lactalis has announced the acquisition of Spanish cheese maker Forlasa and revealed it is interested in acquiring the dairy assets of Ebro Puleva, which wishes to exit the sector to focus on its faster growing units. The acquisition of Forlasa expands Lactalis’s operations in the Spanish market where it currently has seven production facilities and generates sales of EUR600mn. Forlasa has a turnover of EUR130mn and markets a variety of Spanish cheeses under the brand names Gran Capitan, Don Bernardo and Ventero.
These moves are part of a general trend towards consolidation throughout Europe over the last decade. This process has been partly driven by the phasing out of EU dairy quotas, which has made the industry more price-competitive and encouraged firms to focus on their export activities, for which size is a significant advantage. In addition, demand for basic dairy products in many EU markets is stagnant or declining and dairy firms are now having to invest significantly to develop innovative products, such as probiotic yoghurts, to maintain revenues. Size is also a benefit here as research and development and marketing costs are diluted.
Italy-based Parmalat and Denmark’s Arla Foods were initially also linked with a bid for Ebro Puleva’s dairy assets but both have ruled themselves out of the running. This leaves Lactalis as the favourite to land the unit although a bid from another major dairy firm – such as the Netherland’s FrieslandCampina is certainly a possibility. Lactalis has been among the most active consolidators over the last two years with acquisitions in France, Croatia, Poland, Romania, Switzerland and the UK.
Ebro Puleva’s dairy unit generates annual revenues of over EUR500mn, but has delivered stagnant growth in recent years having been hit by the rising popularity of private labels and lacklustre demand for dairy products. Lactalis will believe its size and dairy expertise can reinvigorate the business and put it back on a growth trajectory. The acquisition of both Forlasa and Ebro Puleva’s dairy unit would more than double the firm’s Spanish revenues from EUR600mn to EUR1.23bn, making it one of the leading players in the sector and putting it in a strong position to drive the ongoing consolidation process.
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