Rügenwalder Mühle gets a new majority owner. The plans were already known, now there is the green light. So far, the new owner has primarily stood for sugar and potato chips.
The food company Pfeifer & Langen (Diamant Zucker, funny-frisch) is allowed to take over the food manufacturer Rügenwalder Mühle. The EU Commission announced that the majority stake did not raise any competition concerns. Among other things, the authority ensures that there is fair competition in the EU and that companies do not have a monopoly position and can thus dictate prices.
The takeover plans became known at the end of November. The Cologne family holding company Pfeifer & Langen did not provide any information about the amount at the time. However, Rügenwalder Mühle will remain as a brand and company; there are no plans to cut jobs, a spokesman for the German Press Agency said. The current management should also remain in office. According to the EU Commission, the takeover is particularly concerned with the processing and preservation of meat substitute products.
In addition to the sugar manufacturer of the same name, Pfeifer & Langen Industrie- und Handels-KG includes brands such as funny-frisch and Chio Chips, the Krüger Group (Kaba, Schogetten) and the vegan food start-up Endori. The company, founded in Cologne in 1870, is one of the largest sugar manufacturers in Europe and has more than 2,500 employees. According to the company’s own information, sales in 2022 were around 1.33 billion euros.
Rügenwalder Mühle was founded in 1834 in Rügenwalde (today Darłowo), Pomerania, and moved its headquarters to Lower Saxony after the Second World War. The company employs around 1,000 people. Since the end of 2014, the company has been producing vegetarian and vegan products in addition to classic sausages.
Source: Stern
