Industry News
British Growers Association- Chief Executive Position
Due to a planned retirement in the summer of 2012 we are seeking a new Chief Executive:The Role
To lead and manage the organisation and its market research subsidiary Market Intelligence Services Ltd; and maintain a high profile representative role for the organisation and the industry it serves. The role requires:
- Proven senior management experience, strategic planning skills, and the ability to exercise financial controls
- Leadership, motivational, networking and communication skills
- Understanding of the key issues affecting the agricultural/horticultural industry
The successful candidate will be self-confident, assertive, capable of big-picture thinking, able to influence and shape the industry and inspire confidence in the organisation.
For further information on our work visit About Us. If you are interested please ask janice.cook@britishgrowers.org for the job specification, then write to tell us how you fit our requirements, enclosing full CV and salary expectations.
Closing date 31 January
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British Growers Association- Business Development Executive Position
A new position has arisen to handle growing demand for our services and develop new opportunities:The Role
Reporting to the Chief Executive, you will manage an existing portfolio of specialist fresh produce crop associations. As association secretary, it will be your responsibility to arrange and minute board and committee meetings, organise conferences and other events, liaise with industry and government bodies. You will also work on new business development projects.
You are likely to be educated to degree level with experience in fresh produce or related farming or food industries. You will need to be self-confident, proactive, with strong communication and interpersonal skills.
For further information on our work visit About Us. If you are interested please ask janice.cook@britishgrowers.org for the job specification, then write to tell us how you fit our requirements, enclosing full CV and salary expectations.
Closing date 31 January
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PVGA changes name to British Growers Association
British Growers Association42 years after its formation, Processed Vegetable Growers Association
(PVGA) has changed its name to: British Growers Association.
The change follows a strategic review and unanimous approval at a Special
General Meeting held in London last month. The name was chosen to give a
clearer description of the organisation’s scope and influence, as Chief
Executive Martin Riggall explains:
“Our original purpose was to provide information, advice and assistance
to growers of vegetables for processing. The vining pea sector still
remains our largest single area of activity. As well as representing,
promoting and defending the industry, we provide administrative support
to five large pea co-operatives, which, between them, account for 50% of
the UK pea acreage. All five are recognised producer organisations under
the EU Fruit and Vegetable regime and benefit from the expertise in this
grant scheme that we have built up over the years.
“However, our involvement with fresh produce has grown to the extent that
it now accounts for half our income and we needed a new name to give a
strong, meaningful and all-inclusive brand to our activities.”
British Growers Association has provided a home for specialist crop
associations for over 30 years. As well as asparagus, brassicas, herbs,
leafy salads, leeks and onions, the portfolio now also includes summer
fruits, plant propagators and turf.
These associations fulfil an essential function for their respective sectors
– establishing R&D priorities for statutory levy-funded research; generic
promotion; crisis management; market intelligence gathering; and dissemination
of information through conferences, technical events and other communications.
British Growers Association staff have developed a high degree of expertise,
which is well-recognised in the industry, enabling the individual associations
to benefit from the spread of best practice and co-ordinated action when
appropriate.
Easy Peasy for Ardo with new line
18-Apr-2011Frozen foods supplier Ardo UK is about to finish installing a new
pea packing line at its Kent headquarters, following a £5m supply deal
with Anglian Pea Growers.
Ardo UK, which is part of Belgium giant Ardo, is also funding an upgrade
of pea processing equipment at a Norbert Dentressangle distribution site
in Lowestoft, securing 38 jobs.
The company started negotiations with East Anglian pea growers last March
after Birds Eye suddenly ended a long-term contract for the area's 15,000
tonne pea crop.
Several varieties of premium peas are being grown for Ardo by the 150
farmer co-operative Anglian Pea Growers. They will be sold to retailers
and foodservice companies.
Interest in provenance
Ardo UK md Stephen Waugh said: “Increasingly, British consumers are looking
for products where the provenance can be traced, and we will be the only
major supplier of East Anglian peas.”
There had been fears for the future East Anglia’s traditional pea growing
industry after Birds Eye cancelled its contract in February 2010.
The withdrawal of a large export deal to Unilever’s Findus ready meals
business in Italy prompted Birds Eye to axe 20% of its total UK pea
production; growers in East Anglia were informed just a week before they
were due to plant the crop.
Peas make up nearly 40% of all frozen vegetables sold in the UK, and have
a retail value of more than £150m a year.
Pinguin's investment at local sites
Frozen food giant PinguinLutosa Food Group has made public its
extensive investment programme for its UK activities which will see
a total spend of close to £20m through 2010 and 2011.
Already underway is a major refit of PinguinLutosa UK’s packing
facilities as well as the commissioning last year of a brand new
frozen bean production line at King’s Lynn. At the close of 2010
£6.2m had been spent on PinguinLutosa UK’s operations and this is
in addition to the joint venture with Partner Logistics which has
seen the opening of a state of the art cold storage facility in
Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.
Still to come in 2011 will be an additional on site 10,000 pallet
space cold store, a new high speed freezing production line, a more
environmentally friendly biological effluent plant and a brand new
development centre. A total investment of over £13m.
UK Managing Director, Peter Denolf commented that “this exciting
investment plan keeps PinguinLutosa at the forefront of frozen food
production in the UK and will allow us to continue to offer our
customers a highly efficient service as well as top quality British
produce.”
As well as this huge investment in its UK business, PinguinLutosa
Food Group also expects to complete the takeover of the d’aucy frozen
food group in May 2011.
BONDUELLE : industrial joint venture
04/06/2011 | 02:35 amPress Announcement
Bonduelle and Ardo set up industrial joint venture in Spain and
seal exclusive supply agreement with Findus.
The Ardo and Bonduelle groups, the leading producers of frozen
vegetables in Europe, today announced their intention to set up an
industrial joint venture with a view to supplying the Spanish and
Portuguese markets with frozen vegetables. Key customers in these
markets will include Findus with whom they have signed an exclusive
supply agreement. At the same time, Bonduelle will transfer its
Frudesa and Salto brands to Findus and Findus will take on the
direct responsibility for sales and marketing of the three brands.
The agreement to be concluded between Bonduelle and Ardo provides
for a joint venture to be set up in Spain involving the Benimodo
production sites (Bonduelle) and the packing and storage site at
Marcilla (Ardo). The new entity to be formed will be owned equally
by the two groups, in view of their respective contributions, and
should have a turnover of approximately 100 million euros, for
volumes of 90,000 tonnes, 30,000 tonnes of which will be produced
at Benimodo.
Bonduelle will transfer its Frudesa and Salto brands to Findus and
Findus will take back the direct responsibility for sales and marketing
of its Findus brand in Spain and Portugal, which it had granted under
licence to the Ardo group in 2005. This signals the return of Findus
in Spain and Portugal with a strong ambition to develop and invest in
terms of advertising and innovation behind the Findus, Frudesa and Salto
brands. The objective is to drive category growth in the frozen
vegetable market with both the Findus and Frudesa brands as well as
relaunching strongly in the ready meal segment with the Salto brand.
Findus intends to build on its successes in frozen food across Europe
and aims to become the true frozen category leader in Spain.
The industrial joint venture thus set up would supply the Findus,
Frudesa and Salto brands under an exclusive agreement to Findus, but
would also supply the private label businesses of both Ardo and Gelagri
in Spain and Portugal, along with the Bonduelle Food Service brand in
the Spanish and Portuguese markets, and Bonduelle branded business in
Portugal.
By this alliance, and thanks to the synergies released, Bonduelle and
Ardo intend to set up a competitive frozen vegetable production structure
for the Iberian Peninsula market.
With a turnover of 600 million euros for 600,000 tonnes of frozen vegetables,
the Ardo group, whose head office is at Ardooie in Belgium, is a European
leader in the production of frozen vegetables.
The Bonduelle group is a world leader in prepared vegetables with turnover
of 1.7 billion euros; 27% of its business comes from frozen vegetables, for
which it is the leader in Canada and the number two in Europe. Its head
office is at Villeneuve d'Ascq, near Lille.
The Findus Group is a leading frozen food business in Europe with sales over
1.3 billion euros and market leading positions in frozen food in France,
Sweden, Norway, and Finland and a market leading position in frozen and chilled
seafood in the UK. The Findus group operates across many categories from
seafood, vegetables, potatoes to ready meals.
This project will be submitted for review by the Spanish competition authorities
and is also subject to certain other consents.
PINGUINLUTOSA
Lynn: Cool £20m boost for frozen foodPublished on Wednesday 23 March 2011 12:27 in Lynn News
Frozen food giant PinguinLutosa Food Group is ploughing almost
£20million into its Lynn site.
A major refit of PinguinLutosa UK’s packing facilities is under
way and last year a new frozen bean production line was commissioned.
At the close of 2010 £6.2million had been spent on PinguinLutosa
UK’s operations.
A further £13million investment will see an additional 10,000
pallet space cold store, a new high speed freezing production
line, a more environmentally friendly biological effluent plant
and a brand new development centre.
UK managing director, Peter Denolf, said: “This exciting investment
plan keeps PinguinLutosa at the forefront of frozen food production
in the UK and will allow us to continue to offer our customers a
highly efficient service as well as top quality British produce.”
PinguinLutosa Food Group also expects to complete the takeover
of the d’Aucy frozen food group in May 2011.
Pinguin is giving up part of its 44-acre site on the Hardwick
Industrial Estate to accommodate the new Sainsbury’s superstore
which is being created there.
A tripartite agreement between Morston Assets, Sainsbury’s and
Pinguin will help finance a new £7million link road for the
industrial estate.
PINGUINLUTOSA NV
Romenstraat 3, 8840 WESTROZEBEKE, BelgiëTel. +32 (0)51 788 200 Fax +32 (0)51 778 382
www.pinguinlutosa.com
Press release
Update CECAB
• Capital increase of € 10 million at a price of € 11.67 per share;
• Cooperation with the CECAB-Group has been confirmed.
1° Capital increase
PinguinLutosa and the CECAB-Group reconfirm the private capital
increase of € 10 million. The capital increase will take place
within the limits of the authorised capital at a price of
€ 11.67 per share. The Board of Directors has now finally
approved the capital increase. The capital increase will take
place before the end of October.
Herwig Dejonghe proudly announces: “With the CECAB-Group, a
strong shareholder group joins the capital of our Group. This
shareholder also has a very strong connection with the
agricultural and food sector.”
2° Cooperation with CECAB
Apart from the capital increase PinguinLutosa will, as from 1
May 2011 onwards, take over operational lead for the deep-frozen
activities of the CECAB-Group. To achieve this PinguinLutosa will
rent the production sites and take over the personnel. This date
has been chosen because at that point, after the difficult year
in 2010 with the bad harvest in Poland and Hungary, the new
production season of the vegetables will start.
This new production season will be managed solely by
PinguinLutosa. In advance of this date, PinguinLutosa
and the CECAB-Group will already prepare the organization of and
determine the production programme for
the deep-frozen vegetable division. As from May 2011 onwards the
results of these activities will be included
in the figures of PinguinLutosa.
The current deal includes 7 production sites: 2 sites in France
(Moréac and Comines), 1 site in Hungary (Baja) and 4 sites in
Poland (Lipno, Adamow, Elk and Dabrova). Together these sites
have a production capacity of 150,000 tonnes per year. The
current production capacity of the deep-frozen vegetable
division of PinguinLutosa amounts to 270,000 tonnes. The sales
of the CECAB-Group in the deep-frozen vegetable division
amounted to € 140 million in 2009, whereas sales of the
deep-frozen vegetable division at PinguinLutosa in 2009 amounted
to € 224.4 million.
The CECAB-Group and PinguinLutosa are convinced that the
combination of the expertise regarding production, logistics,
agronomy and sales, combined with the very strong focus on
efficiency and cost awareness will be the basis for good
profitability in the future. The CECAB-Group will remain
closely involved with the operations and will manage the
financing of working capital for the activities that have been
transferred. It will also continue to manage the financing of
future investments at the sites.
Apart from the entire acquisition of 100% of the shares of the
sales companies in the deep-frozen vegetable division of the
CECAB-Group, situated in France and Brazil, PinguinLutosa
additionally acquires a number of non-controlling participations
in the current companies that hold the production infrastructure
and the land and buildings which PinguinLutosa will rent. The
investment for PinguinLutosa will amount to € 5.7 million. In
addition, both parties have agreed upon a result-driven
acquisition price (earn-out) of the business which
starts as from 2012 onwards and can amount to a maximum of € 6
million.
The cooperation is still subject to final approval by the French
Anti-trust authorities and by the financial
institutions.
Financial Calendar
- Trading update Q3 2010: 28 October 2010
- Announcement of 2010 results: 22 March 2011
- Availability of annual report 2010: 27 April 2011
- Trading update Q1 2011: 27 April 2011
- General Meeting: 20 May 2011 at 14:00 hrs at Langemark, Poelkapellestraat 47B
For additional information, please contact PinguinLutosa:
Herwig Dejonghe, CEO
Mobile : 0475/27.05.62
Fixed line : 057/48.72.22
E-mail :
investorrelations@pinguin.be
PinguinLutosa in a Nutshell
PinguinLutosa (www.pinguinlutosa.com) is specialized in the
development, production and sales of frozen products: vegetables,
potato products (fries and specialities) and ready-to-use culinary
preparations. The Group produces and commercializes as well
chilled potato products and potato flakes. The Group has 8
production sites situated in the heart of the most fertile
agricultural areas in Europe: Westrozebeke, Langemark,
Leuze-en-Hainaut and St-Eloois-Vijve (Belgium), Ychoux (France),
King’s Lynn, Boston and Bourne (UK).
In 2009 PinguinLutosa realised € 431.4 million of sales. A total
of 15 subsidiaries and sales offices in 4 continents are
entirely dedicated to all customer segmentations: food industry,
catering as well as large and medium commercial
outlets and fast food. The Group maintains its own R&D centre
for product and process innovation.
Sweet Deal for British Peas
The future of pea growing on some 150 East Anglian farms has
been secured with the signing of a major new contract with a
Kent-based frozen fruit and vegetable processor.
Ardo UK Ltd has struck a deal with Anglian Pea Growers, a
local farmers’ cooperative, to take next year’s 14,800 tonne
crop.
The move restores a 60-year tradition of pea growing in the
area and will see around 3,500 hectares planted in the
spring for harvest next summer. The contract is worth some
£20,000 on average to each of the farmers taking part.
The deal will take UK pea production in 2011 up to 130,000
tonnes.
Ardo UK will be funding new pea preparation equipment at a
plant owned by Norbert Dentressangle Ltd in Lowestoft and is
also looking at investing in a new pea packing line at its
Charing head office. The proposed investment and contract
will secure 38 jobs at the Lowestoft site.
“East Anglian peas are an excellent product, grown to the
highest standards,” said Stephen Waugh, Managing Director of
Ardo UK Ltd. “We are delighted to secure this contract,
which is very welcome news for both British farmers and
consumers. The produce will be grown, prepared, packed and
consumed within the UK, adding value at every stage.
“We are confident that there will be strong demand from our
customers for this quality British product and look forward
to a lasting relationship with East Anglian growers.”
Richard Hirst, Chairman of Anglian Pea Growers and himself a
pea farmer, added: “East Anglia has a long history of pea
growing and is well known for the quality of its product.
The deal with Ardo UK is very good news for our members and
will bring back a valuable source of income to their farms
following the loss of a major pea contract in 2010. Peas are
a high value product and an integral part of the farming
process as they serve to fix nitrogen in the soil and can be
harvested in between other main crops.”
The peas will be harvested from late June and then prepared
and frozen by Norbert Dentressangle within two and a half
hours of being picked to ensure maximum flavour and
vitamin-value is maintained. The peas will then be packed at
Ardo’s premises in Kent ready for sale and distribution.
Dan Myers, unit director of Norbert Dentressangle said: “We
are delighted to be involved with this major deal which is
great news for East Anglia and our Lowestoft plant.”
