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MERGER

Sweden and Denmark deliver on postal merger

The agreement formally regulating the merger between the Swedish and Danish post offices, Posten and Post Danmark, has been signed, the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications has confirmed in a statement.

Published: 3 February 2009 10:15 CET

The Danish state has also agreed to buy the UK firm CVC’s shares in Post Danmark on condition that the merger is completed.

“This is because CVC would be a minor share holder in the new postal firm, which would not be in accordance with CVC’s investment policy,” said the statement.

That CVC is bought out will also give Post Danmark “a greater possibility to focus on the implementation of the Scandinavian merger.”

The combined firm will be 60 percent Swedish and 40 percent Danish owned. The board will however be divided equally.

The merger is subject to the approval of the competition authorities and the Minister for Enterprise and Energy, Maud Olofsson, hopes that the fusion will be completed by the summer.

Olofsson confirmed that Fritz H. Schur, Post Danmark’s current chairman, will assume the post of chairman for the new firm. The new company’s CEO, who will be Swedish, has not yet been announced.

MERGER

Arla looks to milk UK, German dairy mergers

Swedish-Danish dairy cooperative Arla announced Tuesday it was planning two large European mergers, with Germany's Milch-Union Hocheifel (MUH) and Britain's Milk Link, both cooperatives.

Published: 22 May 2012 13:53 CEST
Arla looks to milk UK, German dairy mergers

“Arla Foods is today announcing plans for two major mergers – with Germany’s eighth largest dairy, the cooperative Milch-Union Hocheifel … and with the UK’s fourth largest dairy, the cooperative Milk Link,” Arla said in a statement.

The three cooperatives are set to make a final decision on the mergers on June 26, but the deals will also need clearance from regulatory authorities, it added.

Arla, which will retain its name, said the mergers would allow it to grow from having 8,024 co-op owners in Denmark, Sweden and Germany, to having 12,300 owners in those three countries and also in Britain, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Arla, which raked in 55 billion Danish kroner ($9.4 billion) in sales in 2011, said that if the mergers go through they will “immediately increase Arla’s revenue by 9.0 billion kroner per year.”

The Scandinavian company, which exports products under the brands Arla, Lurpak and Castello to more than 100 countries and which employs more than 17,000 people, said that by 2015 it aimed to “be the UK’s largest dairy company and (to) rank third in Germany.”

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