NI’s largest pork supplier bought over in £290m deal

Moy Park owner Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation has acquired food producer Tulip in a £290m deal.

Tulip Limited employees more than 6,000 people, and is the country’s largest pig producer operating 12 production facilities throughout the UK.

The transaction solidifies Pilgrim’s as a leading European food company, creating one of the largest integrated prepared foods businesses in the UK with a portfolio of brands and retail private label solutions.

“We are pleased to strengthen our European foods platform with the acquisition of Tulip Limited, which positions Pilgrim’s as a leading global prepared foods player,” said Jayson Penn, Pilgrim’s global chief executive officer. “The transaction represents the logical next step in our evolution to expand our geographical footprint, enhance our value-added portfolio and reduce volatility across our business with a more stable margin profile. Tulip Limited’s integrated production platform, consumer ready innovation capabilities, well-invested assets, established customer relationships and strong leadership team will solidify Pilgrim’s platform for growth in the attractive UK market.”

“We welcome the talented Tulip Limited team members and management team, led by Andrew Cracknell, to the Pilgrim’s family, and we look forward to working together to drive growth and deliver value for our stakeholders,” Penn continued.

“Pilgrim’s is acquiring an industry-leading farming operation, a strong team of dedicated people and a network of well-invested manufacturing sites,” said Andrew Cracknell, CEO of Tulip Limited. “Our companies share a rich heritage in agriculture and food production with aligned values that put people and customers at the heart of all we do. The Tulip Limited leadership team and I look forward to working with our new colleagues to build upon the fantastic progress made within the business and realise our combined growth opportunities as we enter an exciting new phase.”

Pilgrim’s employs more than 51,400 people and operates chicken processing and prepared foods facilities in 14 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the U.K. and continental Europe. The company’s primary distribution is through retailers and foodservice distributors.

Tulip Limited, like Pilgrim’s, has a long heritage in agriculture and protein production. The company provides a variety of high-quality, innovative products to retail and foodservice customers, utilizing an integrated supply chain with accountability and traceability.

Jais Valeur, Group CEO of Danish Crown, added: “Pilgrim’s is already strongly positioned within the UK chicken market and would like to strengthen its position within the market for pork. On our part, we want to simplify our UK business. Going forward we will supply Danish pork to Pilgrim’s, so all in all the transaction holds out interesting perspectives for both parties.”