French supermarket retailer Casino has announced that it has signed an agreement to sell its Luché Tradition Volailles poultry production unit to LDC, a family-run food and poultry business.
The transaction will be finalised over the next few weeks following consultation with Luché Tradition Volailles’ employee representatives, Casino said.
All employees of the poultry production unit will continue to work with the company.
Luché Tradition Volailles specialises in the production and packaging of raw, ultra-fresh poultry products.
Modernisation Project
The retail group acquired the production unit in 2015 and has invested in a large-scale modernisation project to manufacture products from organic ingredients and livestock raised without antibiotics.
The plant, located in Luché-Pringé near Le Mans, employs around 131 people.
LDC, a manufacturer of poultry and prepared meals in France, generated revenue of €4.1 billion in 2018.
Apart from manufacturing private-label products for retailers, the company also sells products under the Loué, Le Gaulois, Maître Coq and Marie brands.
It operates 86 production plants in France and Europe and employs more than 21,800 people.
Based in Sablé-sur-Sarthe in the Loire Valley region, LDC's association with the Casino Group dates back to 1970.
Casino described the transaction as "an opportunity for the Casino Group and LDC to combine their resources and thereby strengthen the high-quality French poultry chain."
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.