Belgian food group Vandemoortele acquires French Délifrance

BELGIUM – Vandemoortele, a frozen baked goods and plant-based foods manufacturer, and VIVESCIA, a leading French cereal cooperative group, announced today that they have signed an agreement for Vandemoortele to acquire Délifrance.

Délifrance is a wholly-owned subsidiary of VIVESCIA Industries and one of Europe’s leaders in frozen baked goods. The company employs 3,200 staff members, operates 14 production sites, and has an annual turnover of approximately €930 million (approximately US$1B).

Recognized worldwide for the quality of its products, Délifrance is a B2B brand that embodies the excellence of French bakery. It supplies frozen bakery products to supermarkets, hospitality businesses, and bakers across Europe and Asia.

Founded in 1899 in Izegem, Vandemoortele has operations in the US and 12 countries across the EU and Asia, as well as several production plants in Italy, including locations in Genoa, Ravenna, and four facilities in Acquaviva.

By combining their expertise and resources, Délifrance and Vandemoortele aim to tackle future challenges, offering customers a comprehensive range of products including pastries, artisan bread, doughnuts, Italian delicatessen offerings, and pastries under well-known brands such as Délifrance, Banquet d’Or, Doony’s, Lanterna, Acquaviva, and Lizzi.

Vandemoortele CEO Yvon Guerin sees strong potential for synergies in areas such as accelerating growth, customer service, product innovation, and branding.

The two companies complement each other in terms of product range, services, and geographical presence. This merger would create a new, leading global group with a projected turnover of €2.4 billion (US$3.1M)

On Friday, Vandemoortele also published its annual results, reporting an increase in turnover by €59 million (US$67) to €1.99 billion (US$2.2B), while net profit rose by €2 million (US$2.2) to €111 million (US$126M) Guerin described the economic climate as “more stable and calmer” following years of high-cost inflation.

Earlier this year, in February, Vandemoortele acquired another company, Lizzi, which is an Italian producer and distributor of frozen bakery products from Forno d’Asolo.

In June 2024, Vandemoortele also acquired Dolciaria Acquaviva from Apheon, a pan-European mid-market private equity firm, and from the Acquaviva family. These two acquisitions have reinforced Vandemoortele’s position as a key player in the Italian frozen bakery market.

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