Bonduelle wants to sell its French and German salad plants

Bonduelle wants to sell its packaged salad divisions in France and Germany. The group is already in talks with two potential buyers, following a substantial drop in demand.

Structural decline

Earlier this month, Bonduelle had already admitted that volumes were under pressure and that sales of fresh foods (bagged salad and delicatessen) in particular were down. In France and Germany, however, the decline is structural, according to fruit and vegetable processor, due to increased competition from private labels and exacerbated by inflation. The company is scaling back its operations in both countries, reports Just Food.

In France, the ‘Bonduelle Frais France’ division is reducing its workforce: the head office will be restructured and activities at the Saint-Mihiel site will be discontinued. Exclusive negotiations are already ongoing with salad producer Les Crudettes for the acquisition of the French packaged salad business. Talks are also in progress in Germany with US salad producer Taylor Farms concerning the takeover of its German salad business.

Focus on other activities

‘These projects are necessary to preserve jobs at Bonduelle Group sites in France and Europe. They will enable us to refocus on Bonduelle’s other businesses so that the group can continue to accelerate its activities in the fresh delicatessen, preserves and frozen food markets in these regions,’ said the company.

The group is also in the process of reviewing its salad business in North America. Only Italy saw its sales of packaged salads increase in the last quarter. The number of jobs affected by the reorganisations has not yet been revealed.