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France's LDC In Talks With Avril To Acquire Egg Business

By Dayeeta Das
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France's LDC In Talks With Avril To Acquire Egg Business

French poultry group LDC is in exclusive talks with Avril Group to acquire its egg packaging business for mass distribution and catering, Matines, according to a report in the French publication Le Figaro.

Matines has been running in losses for several years and Avril Group announced a planned shutdown of its operations in June of this year, within the framework of a voluntary procedure.

LDC plans to take over the Matines brand, which sold 250 million units in 2021 with turnover amounting to €43 million.

It will provide producers with outlets for eggs sold until now under the Matines brand and exclude those that Avril marketed under private labels, which comprises 75% of the eggs handled by Matines.

Read More: France's Avril To Expand Sunflower Crushing Capacity

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'Alternative' Eggs

The acquisition will help LDC consolidate its presence in the 'alternative' egg segment, focusing on eggs from cage-free farms and farms that implement other animal welfare measures, or offer organic eggs.

Currently, Matines sources 53% of its eggs from such farms and has pledged to eliminate eggs from caged hens by 2025, the report noted.

If the takeover of Matines succeeds, LDC will have a 42% share in the branded organic egg segment in France and strengthen its position (21%) in the free-range egg segment.

Last year, the poultry group said it was looking at European acquisitions in or around markets where it is already present as part of its growth strategy.

© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Dayeeta Das. For more A-Brands news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.

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