Italian private-label frozen and non-frozen pizza producer Italpizza has acquired Spanish company Pizza Artesana Malgrat for an undisclosed sum.
Founded in 1986 and based in Malgrat de Mar, Pizza Artesana produces both frozen and fresh pizzas and is especially active in the HoReCa channel, with around 50 employees.
The acquisition is part of Italpizza’s foreign expansion plan that will allow it to be directly present in countries with significant growth margins in the pizza market.
According to Italpizza, the demand of the Spanish market is particularly dynamic, while the existing offer is at medium to low level.
The challenge for Italpizza will be to bring Spanish consumers closer to a high-quality product typical of the Italian tradition.
Commenting on the deal, the president and CEO of Italpizza, Cristian Pederzini, said that the industrial plan foresees expansion of the Spanish company's distribution network in order to extend the availability of Italian frozen pizzas, in addition to transfer of technology to improve the production of products with special characteristics for the specific Spanish market.
He added that future strategic investments could lead to doubling of production capacity and employment levels.
Other Acquisition
In a separate deal, Italpizza has also taken over Mantova Surgelati for €60 million with the goal of expanding its production capacity in Italy.
Mantua Surgelati has five factories with a total area of 40,000 square metres, including a cold storage room with a capacity of 8,000 to 10,000 pallets, seven production lines, and a production capacity of about 240 million pizzas per year.
It employs 450 people, and its 2021 turnover surpassed €100 million, of which exports accounted for over 50% with the German market predominating.
Following the merger, Italpizza will comprise eight production plants and two warehouses, with 15 production lines and a production capacity of about 435 million pizzas per year.
The post-integration turnover of the group will be about €350 million, of which more than 60% will come from exports, making Italpizza the leading international producer of Italian pizzas.
Around 80% of Italpizza’s production comprises frozen pizzas. The company serves over 210 premium brands and its products are sold in over 55 countries.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest private-label news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
