Italian dairy and agro-industrial company Granarolo has announced that it acquired Midland Food Group, a chilled-, ambient- and frozen-food distributor in the UK.
The deal, which was completed by Granarolo's UK-based subsidiary, will include Midland's two production sites, in Willenhall and Basingstoke.
Midland Food Group, which has an expected turnover of around £62 million, has a large dairy portfolio and also distributes hams and other cooked meat products, as well as a full range of ambient products for the foodservice industry.
Additionally, the group has a manufacturing business, which produces pastry products, sandwich fillings and cooked meats, as well as an e-commerce portal, IDeli.
UK Expansion
Granarolo says that the acquisition of Midland will put its UK business behind Italy and France, in terms of the group's turnover by region.
Gianpiero Calzolari, chairman of the Granarolo Group, added that this deal will allow the company to further expand its presence in the UK, with an annual sales goal of €100 million.
"With the acquisition of Midland Food Group, we aim to make an even bigger splash in the British chilled-food market, which, in 2016, recorded total sales of about €100 billion and keeps growing," said Calzolari.
"Granarolo UK, which has a current turnover of more than €22 million with the Made in Italy selection of products, will now be able to count on two logistics hubs, with a structured, efficient distribution system," he added. "It will also have the opportunity to develop direct sales in the large and constantly expanding foodservices sector in the UK."
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
