The Kloosterboer Group announced on March 1 that it is selling its subsidiary in Bjuv, Sweden, to Breda, Netherlands-headquartered NewCold Advanced Cold Logistics . The transaction, which follows the purchase late last year of Kloosterboer’s Moss Coldstore in Norway by Novi, Michigan, USA-headquartered Lineage Logistics, is in line with the company’s strategy of focusing on expansion and enhancement of primary assets elsewhere in Western Europe, beyond the Nordic countries.
According to Stephane Pluenet, executive director of automation for Rotterdam, Netherlands-headquartered Kloosterboer, the company is growing rapidly at strategic locations where it offers a full portfolio of services to customers. In supporting increased volume expectations and special requirements from clients, it has built coldstores in Lelystad and on the Maasvlakte in the Netherlands, as well as in Bayside, Canada, during the last two years. Furthermore, the construction of new refrigerated warehouses in France at Arras and Harnes, and in Rotterdam, is currently underway.
About Kloosterboer and NewCold
In business for 95 years, the family-owned Kloosterboer Group handles a wide range of temperature-controlled foods including fish, meat, fruit, fruit juices and concentrates, vegetables, dairy and potato products. It operates over 4.7 million cubic meters of space offering approximately 700,000 tons of storage capacity in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Canada and South Africa.
NewCold operates automated cold storage and refrigerated transport services in the Netherlands, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, the USA, Australia, and now Sweden. Total capacity prior to the acquisition in Bjuv, amounted to 4,799,837 square meters of refrigerated space, according to statistics compiled by the Global Cold Chain Alliance.
NewCold’s takeover of the 38-meter high Bjuv coldstore near Helsingborg, where Findus is the cornerstone client, has added 76,000 pallet positions to its capacity. Findus is owned Feltham, England-headquartered Nomad Foods, one of Europe’s leading frozen food companies. Its brand portfolio also includes Birds Eye, Iglo, Aunt Bessie’s and Goodfella’s.
The operating business acquired from Kloosterboer includes all employee arrangements and third-party contracts, and a long-term lease on the property from the owner of the refrigerated warehouse, Centur AB.
Erik Selin, chief executive officer and founder of Balder, which together with PEAB owns the site through the joint venture Centur AB, commented: “We have been pleased to facilitate this upgrade of the coldstore. It is always our objective to provide facilities that maximize the benefit of our tenants, and our role in chairing this project and opening up for an operator with state-of-the-art logistical handling systems.”
Bram Hage, founder and chief executive officer of NewCold, remarked: “We work with Nomad Foods in the United Kingdom and Germany, so this arrangement sees us expanding our relationship with them into Sweden, as well as with other valued customers.
“The facility in Bjuv is our first in this region. Our goal is to modernize the multi-customer facility, grow the customer base, fill the coldstore to its capacity and provide the highest quality service levels and efficiencies.”
