Arla Foods in Yeo Valley Dairies takeover

By Jim Cornall

- Last updated on GMT

Arla Foods will have the rights to use the Yeo Valley brand in the UK for milk, butter, spreads and cheese, but not yogurt, ice cream, cream and desserts, which will continue to be part of the independent Yeo Valley Group.
Arla Foods will have the rights to use the Yeo Valley brand in the UK for milk, butter, spreads and cheese, but not yogurt, ice cream, cream and desserts, which will continue to be part of the independent Yeo Valley Group.

Related tags Arla foods Yeo valley Milk

The Danish headquartered cooperative said it is looking to significantly step up its ambitions for its organic dairy business in the UK, and now Arla Foods Limited, a subsidiary of Arla Foods amba, has announced it will acquire Yeo Valley Dairies Limited, a subsidiary of the Yeo Valley Group Limited.

It follows last week's announcement​ by Arla Foods of a €527m ($644.7m) investment in its global operations for 2018.  

The transaction will give Arla Foods the rights to use the Yeo Valley brand in the UK for milk, butter, spreads and cheese under an intellectual property license with Yeo Valley.

The Yeo Valley yogurt, ice cream, cream and desserts business will continue to be run independently through Yeo Valley Group, which remains under the ownership of the Mead family.

Peter Giørtz-Carlsen, executive vice president and head of Europe in Arla Foods, said the potential for organic dairy products in the UK is significant, and the investment through the licensing agreement with Yeo Valley “provides a significant opportunity to offer a greater choice to consumers at attractive prices.”

Giørtz-Carlsen said, “Our ambition is to encourage customers in the UK to trade up from standard to organic milk, butter and cheese, driving overall growth for organic across dairy categories.”

Expanding organic

According to Nielsen data, organic milk represents only 4% of the fresh milk sold in the UK, compared to 10% in Germany, 16% in Sweden, and 29% in Denmark.

Arla said in the UK, the Arla Organic Free Range milk has driven 60% of all growth within the organic milk category in the last 12 months, with 70% of all Arla Organic Free Range milk sales attributable to customers who would have not previously purchased organic milk.

With one in four households now purchasing organic products, Arla Foods said there is opportunity for the UK dairy sector to convert more of its customers from standard to organic dairy.

Tomas Pietrangeli, managing director, Arla Foods Limited, said organic milk has a key role to play as consumers increasingly look for ways to make their diets healthier.

“Its production without the use of artificial or manufactured herbicides and fertilizers and with high standards of animal welfare are key reasons it is in growth, especially with younger consumers,”​ Pietrangeli said.

“Arla is working with industry bodies to continue to help consumers understand the additional benefits that come with organic milk."

Completion of the transaction will take place following approval by the UK Competition and Markets Authority.

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