Lactalis goes Cheddar shopping in the UK: deal worth 1,2 billion dollars with Saputo

A major coup for Lactalis which is buying the dairy division of Saputo, in a transaction carried out through Bsa, the holding company of the Besnier family.

Saputo Group’s billions

The seller, a leading group from Montreal with a turnover of 17,551 billion Canadian dollars, approximately 11 billion euros, is selling a well-established business in Great Britain valued at 988 million pounds (1 billion and 151 million euros).

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2027, following the usual formalities and approvals relating to competition rules.

The British division, with 1.300 employees, includes five production plants and very strong local brands, including Cathedral City (Cheddar cheese), Wensleydale (brand and name of the dairy acquired in July 2021), Davidstow (Cheddar), Clover (the UK’s best-selling margarines) and Country Life (butter).

Over the last four quarters, this group generated approximately 1,2 billion dollars in revenue, representing 7% of Saputo’s consolidated turnover.

Lactalis expects further acquisitions in Britain

The transaction should further increase the target’s financial flexibility and give it the capacity to accelerate its development, also thanks to a detailed investment strategy planned with Lactalis and which does not rule out further acquisitions by the Franco-British tandem.

And there is more. Saputo Group is the undisputed leader in cheese and in the processing of milk and liquid cream in the UK and Canada, as well as a major dairy producer in Australia. In the USA, too, it holds the leading position in the categories in which it operates.

In addition to its core portfolio, Saputo, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange produces, markets and distributes a range of alternative foods, namely plant-based products and, across various lines, products with vegan certification.

There is much, or little, to say about Lactalis, given that the group is known worldwide for its vast portfolio of brands and subsidiaries (Parmalat, Galbani, Locatelli, Invernizzi, Cademartori, Ambrosi, Nuova Castelli… to stay in Italy) and with a 2025 turnover in 31,2 billion euros.

We would just recall that, in July, the multinational acquired the French company Triballat (17 production sites) and the Canadian cooperative Agropur (7 plants, all in the Maple Leaf federation).

This content was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.