MEXICO CITY — Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV completed four “bolt-on” acquisitions during the first quarter, expanding its global presence to 35 countries, said Daniel Servitje, chief executive officer and chairman of Grupo Bimbo.
Servitje briefly touched on the acquisitions during an April 22 conference call with analysts to discuss first-quarter financial results.
In Tunisia, Bimbo acquired Moulin d’Or, the leading producer of sweet baked foods. The company’s products include individual cakes, family-size cakes, pastries, cookies, bread, tarts and tartlets. Servitje said the acquisition is Bimbo’s first in Tunisia.
In Costa Rica, Bimbo purchased La Zarcereña, the leading producer of sweet baked foods and a baker of cookies and snacks.
“This acquisition will consolidate our position as a relevant participant in the sweet baked goods market, complement our brands and increase our penetration in the country,” Servitje said.
In Romania, Bimbo acquired Trei Brutari, a baker of bread and cookies and the second largest player in Bucharest and the South region with three facilities in Targoviste, Iasi and Buzau. The transaction included three franchisees.
“This acquisition will strengthen our position in the packaged bread category with a well-known national brand, Boiereasca, and other regional brands in Romania,” Servitje said. The company’s other regional brands include Stela Franzela, Semintele Pamantului, Grand Papa and Poieni.
The acquisition of Trei Brutari is Bimbo’s second in Romania in as many years. In January 2023 the company acquired Vel Pitar from NCH Capital. Vel Pitar, Vâlcea, Romania, owns 10 manufacturing plants in 9 cities in Romania and has more than 2,500 employees. The company delivers bread, cakes, sweet baked foods and salty snacks daily to more than 7,000 stores. Vel Pitar was formed in 2001 through the merger of four factories in the milling and baking industry: Mopariv Vâlcea, Berceni Bucharest, Granpan Tecuci and Panegrano Cluj.
The fourth acquisition completed by Bimbo during the first quarter was in Turkey, where it acquired a 30% stake in UNO, a baker of packaged bread. Founded in 1990, UNO has three facilities and 2,000 employees. Its products include bread, snacks and pastries.
“This allows us to enter the highest bread consumption per capita country in the world,” Servitje said. “Remember that we are already present in Turkey, but only through our Bimbo QSR division. We bought 30% of this company, and this is the first of several steps as we have the option to acquire the remainder in the coming years.”