Italian Ferrero acquires Turkish Delacre and Delichoc

Italian manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products Ferrero International SA has concluded a deal with Pladis to acquire some of the United Biscuits assets.

Ferrero is to buy Belgium-based cookie companies Delacre and Delichoc as well as two biscuit plants in France and Belgium, all of which are part of United Biscuits that is controlled by Pladis - Yıldız Holding's largest subsidiary bringing together its biscuit, chocolate and confectionery businesses in the Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) region.

The Italian company has not disclosed the financial terms of the deal that will make the Nutella producer Ferrero the sole proprietor of both Delacre and Delichoc.

Although the majority of Delacre's sales take place in Belgium and France, the company also operates in the U.S. and Canada. Therefore, analysts say, the deal is of strategic importance for Ferrero, aiming to reduce its reliance on chocolate products and enter the premium biscuits sector.

A news article published on Dünya daily in November reported that Pladis, which is to sell certain brands one by one, has reached a deal with Ferrero to sell Delacre, which holds a 130 million euros turnover. The article also said Ferrero and United Biscuits applied to French Competition Authority (L'Autorite de la concurrence) and plans to finalize the acquisition by mid-December.

In 2014, Yıldız Holding - with a workforce of approximately 50,000 people in its factories across the world - acquired the U.K.-based United Biscuits, which made the Holding the world's second largest food manufacturer.