Burton's Biscuits, the brains behind some of Britain's best-loved desserts such as Jammie Dodgers, Wagon Wheels and Maryland Cookies, has been sold to Italian chocolate company Ferrero.
While the fee was not disclosed, Ferrero announced on June 2 that a subsidiary of the company had "entered into a definitive agreement" to acquire Burton's from its current owner, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board. , the council acquired the brand in 2013. The main aim is to invest in [Burton's], take advantage of exciting new growth opportunities [...] and make the integration process as seamless as possible," a Ferrero spokesperson told the Guardian . "There are currently no plans to change staffing levels. "
The Guardian believes the Canadian pension fund sold Burton's for around £360 million, but the official price has not yet been announced.
A press statement released on June 1 details that Ferrero's Belgian holding company CTH will take over Burton's six UK production sites, located in Blackpool, Dorset, Edinburgh, Livington, Llantanan and Aberdeen. London Island.
This is not the first time Ferrero’s Belgian subsidiary has made an acquisition in the UK. CTH also acquired Fox's Biscuits for £246 million in October 2020 and chocolate maker Thornton's in 2015 for £112 million. The deal goes some way to confirming long-held rumors that Burton's Biscuits and its "rival" Fox would merge to create the UK's third-largest biscuit maker, behind McVitie's and McVitie's Cadbury.
Now Ferrero has a stake in a biscuit maker, which could mean Nutella biscuits will finally hit UK supermarket shelves. "Nutella biscuits, launched in Italy in 2019, have the potential to really change the landscape," Ayisha Koyenikan, food and drink analyst at research group Mintel, told The Guardian . "Ferrero has recently doubled production to increase overseas sales. , so it remains to be seen whether the launch in the UK will be facilitated by imported products, or whether one of the newly acquired UK factories will be adapted for domestic production.”
