ConAgra is to acquire the P.F. Chang’s Home Menu and
Bertolli frozen meal sections of Unilever North American in a deal worth $265
million. The acquisition of the Unilever businesses will help ConAgra grow
their already successful lines of frozen foods, which include brands such as
Healthy Choice, Kid Cuisine, Banquet and Marie Callender’s, as well as aid
Unilever in their strategy to exit the frozen food segment. ConAgra is excited
by the prospect of adding strong brands in the Italian and Asian cuisine
markets.
“We’ll use our extensive frozen foods and innovation
capabilities to grow these great brands even further,” says Gary Rodkin, CEO of
ConAgra Foods. “Just as our acquisition earlier this calendar year of Odom’s
Tennessee Pride extended our reach into frozen breakfasts, the addition of
Bertolli and P.F. Chang’s brands can bring us new consumers and new eating
occasions.”
The deal is still awaiting regulatory review but is slated
to include a license for the use of the Bertolli brand name and the transfer of
Unilever’s license for use of the P.F. Chang’s Home Menu brand name. The
acquisition, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2012, does not
include the Unilever facility in Owensboro, KY, where the products are
currently produced. Unilever will also continue to use the Bertolli brand name
for its pasta sauce business.
This is the fifth acquisition in the past year for ConAgra
Foods, which has also acquired National Pretzel Company, Del Monte Canada,
Odom’s Tennessee Pride, and the pita chip business of Kangaroo Brands.
