Dutch-based Plukon Food Group has reached agreement with French poultry firm, Duc S.A., to acquire new shares in Duc, as well as the shares held by Duc’s major shareholders.
The deal, conducted through a subsidiary of the Dutch company, will allow Plukon to hold 97 percent of the shares in Duc. Following the acquisition, Plukon intends to launch a simplified takeover bid, followed by a transfer of all remaining shares in Duc. Duc SA will be delisted from Euronext Paris.
“The acquisition of Duc enables Plukon Food Group to further implement its retail strategy in France as a national producer,” said Plukon’s CEO, Peter Poortinga. “The current growth plans in France are strengthened as a result of this acquisition.”
According to the parties’ joint statement, both companies focus on high-quality, fresh products for the retail market. They are also working on new concepts to improve animal welfare and reducing the use of antibiotics, and Duc’s product portfolio complements that of Plukon.
The new group intends to continue the cooperation with Duc’s poultry farmers, and will seek opportunities for further expansion.
Headquartered in the Netherlands, the Plukon Food Group is among the leading poultry meat companies in Europe. It has operations in 13 locations - eight poultry slaughterhouses and five processing and packaging facilities - in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium with a weekly slaughter volume of seven million chickens. In 2015, the group generated turnover of EUR1.4 billion (US$1.5 billion), and had a workforce of around 4,500 people.
Europe’s top producer of certified poultry in Europe, Duc Group specializes in the production, slaughter, packaging and marketing of poultry, and offers a wide range of products, such as certified, standard and organic. The company has four production sites in France as well as a small production location in Bulgaria. On average, Duc slaughters 600,000 chickens and processes 30,000 turkeys per week with a workforce of around 800 people.
In September this year, Plukon agreed a joint venture in Poland with the Wyrebski family for a new poultry slaughterhouse near Wroblew.
Just last week, another Dutch food company, Wegdam Holding BV took over the assets of Tilly Sabco Bretagne SAS, a French poultry company that had been in administration for around six months.
