Lantmännen Unibake has acquired the production assets from French Bakery Company AS, a Norwegian bakery located close to Drammen. The transaction is a key step to better serve the Nordic market and to meet consumer demand for locally produced bakery products.
The acquisition includes the take-over of French Bakery Company’s production equipment and employees, which strengthens Lantmännen Unibake’s position in Norway. It will provide opportunities for expansion with new products for both foodservice and retail channels. It also enables in-sourcing to Lantmännen Unibake’s local bakeries and supports the international bakery group’s focus on core markets and sustainable production.
“French Bakery Company is a modern bakery with high bake-off expertise and quality standards. Geographically, it is well positioned for our current Norwegian operations and fits into our strategy and ambition. Building on our focus on sustainability from field to fork, locally produced bakery products and short time-to-market, we believe there is a very good potential to grow the business further and continue to deliver great results,” said CEO Werner Devinck.
“Lantmännen Unibake Norway sees strong growth potential for bake-off products in Norway and our focus is to meet the needs of our foodservice and retail customers. With increased flexibility, tailor-made and locally produced products, the acquisition will expand our current offer. It enables our business to strengthen our sustainability efforts through locally sourced raw materials and locally produced products, while also supporting our target to reduce the CO2 footprint through shorter transportation distances,” said Thomas Bjarkholm, managing director of Lantmännen Unibake Norway.
Horsens, Denmark-headquartered Lantmännen Unibake A/S provides a wide range frozen bake-off and non-frozen bakery products including pastry, croissants, soft dough, cakes and bread.
Stockholm, Sweden-headquartered parent company Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative owned and governed by 20,000 Swedish farmers. Members around the country are either connected to Lantmännen directly or members of one of the 22 local associations. With over 10,000 employees in more than 20 countries, annual revenues exceed SEK 45 billion (approximately €4.5 billion).
