Italpizza ready to acquire the Buitoni factory in Caudry, in northern France

Exclusive negotiations between Nestlé and Italpizza, which intends to take over the Buitoni plant in Caudry.

This is the notorious production site that was hit, in the spring of 2022, by a serious food scandal caused by Escherichia coli and which, as a result of the contamination of Buitoni pizzas under the Fraîch'Up brand, led to 56 people being infected and 2 children dying.

Subsequently, on 30 March this year, the Swiss multinational announced its closure, given that the business had failed to get off the ground and the workforce had been reduced by 60 employees, from 200 to 130. Now for the twist.

In fact, Italpizza has committed to investing 10 million euros at the site. The workers, probably the same ones who survived the closure, are expected to number 140 by 2026.

The transaction will probably be completed by the beginning of 2024.

The Italian industry leader has a turnover of more than 350 million euros, if the acquisitions of Mantua surgelati and Spain's Pizza artesana Malgrat in October 2022 are also taken into account.

Finally, it is worth remembering that, in March 2023, Italpizza acquired a majority stake in Vicenza-based Italgelato, thereby entering another highly dynamic sector.

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.