Wessanen reports strong Q3 results

22-Oct-2015 - Last updated on 23-Oct-2015 at 11:18 GMT

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Dutch food group Wessanen has reported strong Q3 results which it puts down to a consumer shift away from ‘Big Food’ towards healthy and sustainable food.

The company reported growth of 19.1% with a strong autonomous growth for own brands at 10.9%.

EBITE saw a 93% increase to hit €9.4 m. This was driven by the acquisition of Abafoods last year, which makes plant-based organic drinks under the brands Isola Bio and Sole del Mattino.

CEO Christophe Barnouin said that Q3 confirmed the positive trends seen in previous quarters. “The demand for healthy and sustainable food continues to be strong and our brands are gaining market share. This is based on a stronger marketing execution and significant investments above and below the line,” he said.

“We continue to see record share levels for Bjorg in France, we have achieved market leadership in peanut butter and savoury biscuits in the UK, Allos in Germany is growing at twice the rate of the organic market in Germany and Zonnatura in the Netherlands is about to enter the list of the 100 biggest food brands in the country.

“The shift from "Big Food" to Healthy and Sustainable Food is a major trend of our time and more and more consumers are joining every day."

The company says it expects to report higher EBITE for 2015 compared with last year. Bjorg is now the biggest organic brand on France and while UK sales of Clipper tea slowed over summer, the company said it has been selling well in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Sustainability drive

In recent years Wessanen has been involved in a massive drive to align sustainability values with its activities. It did this by divesting any parts of its business that did not fit with its sustainability and health goals, such as its meats, frozen foods and drinks divisions, and acquired companies that did, such as Clipper teas, Alter Eco and Abafoods - cutting 90% of its revenue since 2000 in the process.

In 2000 the company had turnover of about €4bn and employed 17,000 people, while today it employs about 822 people and has a turnover of €434m in 2014.

Its 11 core brands include Allos, Alter Eco, Bjorg, Bonneterre, Clipper, Gayelord Hauser, Isola Bio, Kallø, Tartex, Whole Earth and Zonnatura.