Danish Crown Buys Foodservice Business in the UK
Danish Crown has acquired Nottingham-base Leivers Brothers for an undisclosed sum to double the revenue generated by the international meat group’s UK foodservice business. Foodservice has been part of Danish Crown’s business in the UK since 2014. Danish Crown has succeeded in establishing a stable base in and around London and Manchester and this is now being further expanded in the Midlands with the acquisition of Leivers Brothers.
“Wanting to get closer to the end-users of our products is part and parcel of our 4WD strategy. This is by no means a major acquisition, but it is an important step in our efforts to create the right conditions for our UK foodservice business to be able to grow organically,” explains Jais Valeur, group chief executive of Danish Crown.
Founded in 1880, Leivers Brothers has been a supplier of bacon, fresh meat, cheese, sausages and cold cuts to butchers, restaurants and canteens for many decades.
“This is a very exciting step for the UK. While foodservice is a new business area for us, in which our pioneering spirit has brought us far in a relatively short time, next on the agenda is the integration of Leivers Brothers with the rest of our business. The synergies are obvious; I would go so far as to describe this as a major development for our foodservice division,” says Lars Albertsen, chief executive of Danish Crown UK.
Danish Crown is taking over Leivers Brothers with immediate effect as the acquisition does not require the approval of the competition authorities.
