Hilton expands UK estate with sous vide acquisition

11-Feb-2019 - Last updated on 11-Feb-2019 at 12:50 GMT

Hilton Food Group is to acquire HFR Food Solutions to enter the sous vide market

International meat processing business Hilton Food Group is to grow its UK presence with the acquisition of West Midlands sous vide operator HFR Food Solutions.

This acquisition is part of Hilton’s ambition to enter the sous vide market and grow its portfolio further into pork and poultry.

The move will also help Hilton “leverage its expertise in procurement and manufacturing of meat products in a new segment with major retailers and food service customers”.

The transaction is scheduled to complete on 28 February 2019. It requires that £100 be paid on completion with the remainder payable three years after completion. It is estimated that the amount payable will be approximately £3.3m but the final amount will depend on the performance of the HFR business. Hilton will also provide a secured loan of £2.75m to HFR on completion to finance the company.

Hilton executive chairman Robert Watson OBE, said: "This acquisition represents an exciting opportunity for Hilton to broaden its offering in a fast-growing segment of the market and meet our customers' demands for Hilton to supply them with a range of innovative, high quality sous vide products."

HFR director Graham Heffer added: "We are pleased with Hilton's acquisition of HFR as it will enable the business to benefit from Hilton's expertise, improve its operations and continue to focus on giving our customers the right products at competitive prices."

Hilton also recently completed the purchase of 50% Dutch vegetarian food manufacturer Dalco Food. First announced in October 2018, Hilton agreed to enter into a joint venture agreement with Dalco's shareholders, which includes an option for the remaining 50% of Dalco's shares in 2024. Following approval by the Dutch competition authority, this transaction completed on 31 January 2019.