Vion Expands Foodservice Division With FVZ Convenience Buyout

14 Aug 2014 --- Vion Food is continuing the expansion of its Foodservice division having completed its takeover of FVZ Convenience GmbH, with the production site in Holzwickede. This follows the acquisition of the remaining 49 percent share in FVZ from minority shareholder Westfleisch eG. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the final purchase price.

Full integration of FVZ into the Foodservice division will allow Vion to strengthen its third core business activity alongside fresh beef and pork divisions. Bernd Stark, COO of Foodservice at Vion, views the takeover as a strategic investment to help further strengthen the company's leading position in Europe. "The FVZ and SALOMON FoodWorld brands will allow us to operate with greater focus both nationally and internationally and help us to consolidate our market position". Both brands will be managed by Vion Foodservice from its site in Großostheim in Bavaria (Germany).

FVZ produces premium-quality convenience meat products at its site in Holzwickede and is a market leader in the deep-frozen schnitzel and knuckle, as well as the inventor of the oven-bake schnitzel. Based in the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia, the company was the first in Germany to use state-of-the-art American cooking technology to produce spare ribs.

For Bernd Stark, the complete takeover of FVZ is essential to supporting the expansion of the food service division. "We're looking to increase our turnover by 20% over the next three years and to grow market share in all areas, both with our existing partners and with new customers. With two separate brands under one roof, we can now take an even more strategic approach to achieving that objective". The brand and name "Westfood" will return to Westfleisch eG at the end of 2014. 

Vion Food is a Dutch food company which operates internationally. In 2013, Vion realized a turnover of € 7 billion. Vion is not listed and has one single agricultural shareholder, the Dutch Southern Agriculture and Horticulture Organisation (ZLTO), which has approximately 16,500 members.