Peru's Alicorp buys Santa Amalia

The Peruvian consumer goods group, Alicorp, which is spreading its activities around South America in recent years, arrives in Brazil with the purchase of the family company Pastifício mining Santa Amalia. The business, founded in 1954, suffered from high debt and was purchased for $ 190 million-the equivalent of less than half of the company's annual revenue, according to the State it was found.
Santa Amalia, which has more than 1,000 employees, is the third placed in the noodle market in the country, with 9% of market share, behind leaders M (25%) and White (21%), second Selmi data from Nielsen compiled by the magazine Modern Supermarket.
The pastifício sought to diversify its portfolio in recent years and went on to produce cookies, cakes, desserts, condiments and preserves. The company has three factories in Minas Gerais and own distribution in the Southeast.
Latin giant. The deal with Santa Amalia is one more step of an aggressive strategy to make a regional company Alicorp, working in several South American markets. Entering the Brazil was a goal of the company. Negotiations with Santa Amalia is dragged there was several months, according to market sources.
The group, which grosses about $ 3.5 billion, has bought several competitors since 2005. Although most of the acquired companies is of Peruvian origin, the Group has bought competitors in countries such as Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador and Chile.
Today, sales outside of Peru represent about a quarter of the business of Alicorp. In the third quarter, however, the company's international operations grew 1.9%, against expansion of 5.6% of sales in Peru.
The Argentina is the most important market for the Group and 45% of foreign sales focused-the result is the fruit of three acquisitions made in the country. The Ecuador is the second largest foreign market, with 26.3%, followed by Colombia (5.4%) and Chile (4.8%).
Because of the acquisitions already made, Alicorp's portfolio is composed of dozens of brands, which makes the company a species of Peruvian Unilever. Despite being better known in the area of food, Alicorp made acquisitions that strengthened its multi-sectoral presence also in the segments of food rations, hygiene and beauty and cleaning products.