French food manufacturer Sill Entreprises has bought local pastry shop Terre d’Embruns to expand its presence in the “frozen and sweet” sectors.
Brittany-based Sill Entreprises, which produces dairy products, soups and frozen meals, said the deal “completed” its portfolio of frozen products.
Also based in Brittany, Terre d’Embruns employs 80 people, who will join the 1,500 employees of the broader group.
The deal, finalized on Tuesday (March 7), includes the 2,400 square meter production site in Terre d’Embruns and three retail stores in Brest and Guipavas.
Sill Entreprises Group Chairman Gilles Falc’hun said: “From the beginning, I have followed the path of these two local entrepreneurs whose values are similar to those we uphold within the Sill Entreprises group. The acquisition of Terre d’Embruns strengthens our industrial base and will also allow us to develop in the frozen and confectionery sectors”.
Sill Entreprises said its annual turnover is 610 million euros (645.9 million US dollars). It works with 570 producers and its products are sold in more than 80 markets.
The group has grown steadily through a series of M&A deals, primarily in the dairy sector, since it was founded in 1962. In 2014, it acquired Bordeaux-based yogurt producer Laiterie Le Petit Basque. In 2008, it bought the dairy manufacturer Laiterie in Saint-Malo, in northwestern France. It bought butter maker Laiterie Le Gall in 1998 and frozen food maker Primel Gastronomie in 1994.
The managing director of the Sill Entreprises group, Sébastien Floc’h, added: “The knowledge developed by Terre d’Embruns since 2007 in pastry and puff pastry completes the range of frozen products of our subsidiaries Primel Gastronomie and Primel Traiteur.
“This acquisition operation and the recent appointment of Guillaume Letenneur as managing director of the division strengthen our positions and our organizations and remind us of the ambitions of the SILL Entreprises group in this frozen products market.”
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