Lantmännen Unibake Invests EUR90m in South-East Europe New Bakery
Lantmännen Unibake, a leading global provider of fresh and frozen bakery products, prepares for significant expansion to strengthen its capacity in South-East Europe: a new state-of-the art bakery in Romania.
“South-East Europe is a strategically important market for us,” said Chief Commercial Officer at Lantmännen Unibake, Jan E. Hertz. “With this investment we significantly expand our activities in this region, strengthening our foundations for increased competitiveness and future growth of our business.”
Once the new bakery is up and running, it will provide Unibake with sufficient capacity to fullfill current and future consumer needs in the entire region. The total investment will create more than 300 new jobs on top of the 130 people already employed at Lantmännen Unibake Romania.
The new bakery will be built in the city of Pantelimon (Ilfov). The range of bakery specialties will be anchored in the local profile of taste and texture, using local ingredients and will respond to the needs and expectations of Romanian consumers. The local bakery offers the advantage of a short distribution chain, with all its advantages related to speed in supply, flexibility, costs, low environmental impact.
The total investment plan includes 3 new production lines that will be installed in a completely new building over the next few years. The current production volume, of over 14,000 tonnes, will double when the first production line reaches maximum potential, while the next two lines will double production once more. The company aims for a turnover of EUR100m per year.
Lantmännen Unibake is one of Europe’s largest bakery groups, present in more than 60 markets around the world, having EUR1.1bn annual net sales in over 20 countries and well-known brands such as, Schulstad, Schulstad Bakery Solutions, Schulstad Royal Danish Pastry, Hatting, Bonjour and Pastridor. Unibake is part of Lantmännen an agricultural cooperative and Northern Europe’s leader in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products, owned by 20.000 Swedish farmers.