As a means to remain malleable in a fluctuating food business world, Danish food group Uhrenholt has decided to divest its seafood company, Uhrenholt Seafood A/S.
The decision was derived after over a year of discussion among the group’s top tier managers and executives, and fits into the business’ overall strategy for future growth, Uhrenholt President and CEO Sune Uhrenholt told SeafoodSource.
“It is a decision which has formed over the past 1.5 years in a dialogue between Uhrenholt top management and managers within Uhrenholt Seafood,” he said.
“The need to simplify our company to stay agile and flexible in a changing world and a strategic decision to focus more on branded products,” were key driving factors in the move to divest, Uhrenholt explained further.
Uhrenholt will not completely pull away from seafood, however – the group will continue to provide products for the sector by way of its established Emborg and Friendship brands. “Our branded consumer business is growing globally and we will continue to focus and expand our range within both Emborg and Friendship brands,” said Uhrenholt. As such, products like warmwater and coldwater shrimp as well as wild Pacific salmon will still be marketed and sold; products featuring haddock, cod, tilapia, molluscs and shellfish will also still be available.
The group has been mum with specifics regarding just how the Uhrenholt Seafood A/S will be sold off, but approximately 70 percent of the deals have culminated.
Moving forward through 2016, Uhrenholt will focus on its dairy division – its largest product realm – in addition to seafood and frozen vegetables. “Dairy is the biggest product area within the group, but we will continue to grow also seafood and frozen vegetables under our brands,” concluded Uhrenholt.
Annually, the group pulls in nearly EUR 400 million (USD 366.5 million) sans its seafood business.
