Fabulous Forty 2010 – fast growing food & drink companies
The Fabulous 40 survey is the survey which charts the growth of food producers in the Netherlands. The Dutch version is executed by BlueMind in conjunction with Elsevier Foodmagazine. The figures relate to the period 2006, 2007 and 2008 and are based on data which the companies themselves deposited with the Chamber of Commerce. The in-depth research includes facts & figures as well as M&A developments and several interviews with CEO’s and CFO’s of these companies.
The concentration of strength in the worldwide food retail market and the global rollout of leading brands is forcing the Dutch food industry to scale up. Suppliers of fresh products and private label producers are catching up. They therefore dominate the Fabulous 40 study, that charts the fastest growing companies in the Dutch food and drink industry. Consumers have not started eating less during the recession, although they did adapt their eating patterns.
Anyone who wants to survive in the competitive food market, where the margins have been under pressure for years, needs to scale up. That adage applies to the trade, but no less to the food industry. Jointly with BlueMind, one of the largest corporate finance offices in The Netherlands, Foodmagazine has conducted a study into the growing diamonds of the Dutch food industry. Where is the growth and what are the underlying trends? The figures and trends apply to the period 2006 – 2008. Annually, the Dutch food industry generates a turnover of more than 50 billion euro, and therefore a quarter of the total Dutch industrial production. The food industry contributes 10 percent to the gross domestic product and generates over 20 percent of the total exports. Dutch multinationals have a strong international presence. There are no less than seven Dutch companies in the top 100 of world players in the food industry. The European top 25 contains the five Dutch food giants, i.e. Heineken, Friesland-Campina, Unilever, Nutreco and Wessanen. “The Dutch food industry is competitive in nature. This means that the smaller, as well as the major players, constantly have to adapt their strategy to the new requirements of the changing market conditions. Also, the nationally oriented players face increasing competition from abroad. The food industry increasingly has to face the fact that the fragmented market of twenty years ago no longer exists. There is continental or even global competition”, according to Jan Willem Jonkman, managing partner of BlueMind Corporate Finance Strategy.
Download a copy of our Fabulous 40 -first edition (2010) here