Press release -
MÜLLER UK & IRELAND GROUP CONFIRMS ACQUISITION OF DAIRY CREST’S DAIRY OPERATIONS
Müller UK & Ireland Group confirms today (6th November, 2014) that it has agreed to acquire the dairy operations of Dairy Crest Group plc.
The acquisition, which is subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities and the shareholders of Dairy Crest, comprises the fresh liquid milk, flavoured milk including the FRijj brand, bulk and potted cream, bulk butter and milk powder businesses of Dairy Crest.
It includes Dairy Crest’s dairy facilities at Severnside, Chadwell Heath, Foston and Hanworth together with around 70 depots.
Müller believes that combining Müller Wiseman Dairies and Dairy Crest’s dairies operations will benefit customers, consumers and employees of both businesses whilst offering supplying farmers greater opportunity and security.
The businesses have largely complementary footprints and the acquisition will provide an opportunity to achieve material cost savings and efficiency improvements.
Bringing the two dairy operations together will enhance the merged business’s ability to compete and will ensure that customers continue to receive quality products at low prices.
The combined business will also provide a platform for higher investment in production efficiencies which will unlock the potential for substantially higher levels of innovation, product development and exports of dairy products made in Britain, with milk from British dairy farms.
Heiner Kamps, Chief Executive Officer of Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller said:
“This acquisition underlines our ambition to further grow the Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller in its core markets and it extends our position as an increasingly important competitor in the dairy sector.
“In tandem with this growth we are placing significant emphasis on becoming an employer of choice at what is an exciting time in our further development as an international fresh food company.”
Ronald Kers, Chief Executive of Müller UK & Ireland Group said:
“We aim to create a more competitive, sustainable, efficient and innovative dairy processor in the UK which will generate real benefits for customers, consumers, employees and suppliers. We look forward to working with the excellent team in Dairy Crest’s dairies operation.
“We are concerned that the dynamics of the UK fresh milk market are unsustainable for dairy processors in the mid to long term and this acquisition will allow us to reduce our costs, increase our efficiencies and invest in the future.“
Topics
Müller UK & Ireland Group
Müller UK & Ireland Group is wholly owned by the Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller. It has 9 dairies and 10 depots nationwide and employs almost 6,000 people across four business units: Müller Dairy, Müller Wiseman Dairies, Müller Minsterley and TM Telford.
Müller Wiseman Dairies processes and delivers fresh milk daily throughout Britain and is famous for its black & white cow-print branding. The company supplies fresh milk to a range of customers in the supermarket, convenience, wholesale and food service sectors. Müller Wiseman Dairies has six dairies from Bridgwater in Somerset to Aberdeen and a fresh milk distribution network throughout the UK.
Based in Market Drayton, Müller Dairy is the UK’s leading yogurt manufacturer, with major brands such as Müller Corner, Müllerlight and Müller Rice.
Müller Minsterley is our facility near Shrewsbury at which chilled desserts including Cadbury Mousse, Layers of Joy and Twin-pot products are made which Müller sells under an exclusive license from Cadbury.
TM Telford is a state of the art yogurt production facility in Telford, Shropshire which is focused on the development of the group’s presence in the UK private label yogurt market.
To make its range of dairy products, the company buys milk from more than 1,200 British dairy farmers, all of whom are Red Tractor Farm Assured.
