Harvey Fresh, a leading manufacturer in Western Australia of dairy products, fruit juices and wine, has announced its acquisition of juice processor Nugan Quality Foods. Harvey Fresh says the move will allow it to capitalize on a “booming export market” for fruit and vegetable juices from Australia into South-East Asia. The acquisition also comes at a time when Harvey Fresh is extending its profile in the fresh fruit juice sector, despite competing against imports from South American and New... ...Read more »

The Directors of Australia’s only ASX-listed sugar miller, MSF Sugar (formerly Maryborough Sugar Factory Limited), have accepted a A$4.45 per share takeover offer by Thai sugar company Mitr Phol. In a media statement released yesterday, the company’s directors recommended that MSF Sugar shareholders also accept the offer in the absence of a superior proposal. According to Mitr Phol’s most recent shareholder notice (lodged with the ASX on 17 January 2012), Mitr Phol currently owns 26.9 per... ...Read more »

Woolworths has acquired the businesses and associated assets of 31 hotels and one detached bottle shop in New South Wales. Through its hospitality company, ALH Group, Woolworths is taking out long-term leases on the 31 establishments. Woolworths already operates 27 hotels in New South Wales. In a four-paragraph media statement released today, Woolworths said the acquisitions have the capacity to achieve good trading growth. ALH Group Chief Executive Officer Bruce Mathieson Jnr said, “These hotel... ...Read more »

Sucrogen, the Australian-based sugar subsidiary of Singapore-listed Wilmar International Limited, has been given approval to purchase Proserpine Sugar Mill by the mill’s creditors, Westpac Bank. Sucrogen’s offer comprised a headline price of A$120 million, plus a working capital adjustment, normal settlement adjustments, as well as absorption of the mill’s normal operating costs and certain critical capital expenditure incurred from 31 October 2011. Sucrogen CEO Ian Glasson said the creditors’... ...Read more »

Major state-owned company of China, Bright Foods Company, is reportedly opening a permanent office in Sydney, signaling an intention to expand its Australian operations. The reports come after the Chinese food group’s acquisition of a 75% stake in Australian food manufacturer Manassen Foods has been approved by the Australian Foreign Institute Review Board. Bright Foods is one of China’s largest dairy producers and a major manufacturer and distributor of consumer food products. The company... ...Read more »

The Full Federal Court has upheld a primary Federal Court judgment which allows Metcash to acquire shares in the Franklins chain of supermarkets, from Pick n Pay Retailers. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had appealed the earlier Federal Court judgment of Justice Emmett, refusing the ACCC’s application to stop Metcash from acquiring the Franklins supermarket chain. The Full Court has ordered that the ACCC pay Metcash’s legal costs. Once it has acquired the 80 Franklins... ...Read more »

Australian retail food brand manager and franchisor, the publicly listed Retail Food Group Limited (RFG) has announced it is in the midst of a number of acquisitions which, if successful, will raise the number of food outlets it operates by around 15 per cent. RFG currently owns the Australian franchises of Donut King, Michel’s Patisserie, Brumby’s Bakeries, bb’s cafe, Esquires, and Big Dad’s Pies. The latest announcement was made by RFG’s CEO, Anthony Alford, at the company’s Annual... ...Read more »

The Australian Federal Treasurer today approved SABMiller’s acquisition of Australian brewer Foster’s and the remaining 50% of Pacific Beverages, on recommendation from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB). The Treasurer’s approval of the transaction marks the final regulatory condition to be satisfied ahead of the shareholder vote at the upcoming scheme meeting scheduled for 1 December 2011. In a statement released today, SABMiller said the acquisition is expected to be completed... ...Read more »

Australia’s only ASX-listed sugar miller, MSF Sugar (formerly Maryborough Sugar Factory Limited), is the latest Australian company to be targeted by a foreign investor, with Thai sugar company Mitr Phol proposing a A$4.45 per share takeover offer. Mitr Phol, which currently owns 22 per cent of shares in MSF Sugar, is one of the largest sugar producers in Asia, with an estimated market share of 19% in Thailand and 9% in China. The takeover agreement is subject to the satisfactory completion of limited... ...Read more »

Australian food industry design and construction company Wiley has been given the green light for the second stage of a multi-million dollar expansion of smallgoods producer Primo Smallgoods. The project involves construction of the largest Australian factory of its kind, with a combined project floor area of 40,000 square metres on an 8.6 hectare greenfield site in Wacol, west of Brisbane. Stage one was completed recently and included construction of a raw material freezer and distribution chiller,... ...Read more »