Peperami, the meat snack created by consumer giant Unilever, is close to being bought by the Irish Kerry Group, according to reports.
The pork salami sausage, "that's a bit of an animal", was put up for sale during the sumer.
Swiss financial services company UBS were hired by Unilever to run a sale process that has been largely dominated by trade buyers, according to the Telegraph. Weekend reports in many British newspapers labelled Kerry Group as the most likely buyer of the Peperami brand.
Through its UK subsidiary, Mattessons, Kerry manufactures processed-meat based products including the Fridge Raiders brand.
Peperami is manufactured by Unilever in Germany, Mexico and the UK.
Unilever has recently been selling off many of its assets in order to refocus the company's growth on its core food portfolio.
The group, which makes everything from Dove Soap to Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, sold off its Wish-Bone and Western salad dressing brands for £355 million in July.
Pundits believe other trade potential bidders for Peperami include Bernard Matthews Farms, 2 Sisters Food Group and Marfrig's European arm Moy Park.
© 2013 - European Supermarket Magazine by Enda Dowling
