Ardo and Dujardin Foods' merger has been approved by the competition authorities in all of the countries - including the UK -in which the two companies are active.
But due to the legal and financial steps that still need to be completed, the official merger will not take place until 31 December 2014.
The firms, which both have their roots in the Ardooie municipality of Belgium, operate in the frozen fruit, vegetable and herb sectors. Ardo UK is based in Kent, and sellsfrozen fruit, vegetables, rice and pasta to wholesale, retail and foodservice, while Rosemary and Thyme was established in 1996 as a joint venture with the Dujardin Food Group. It has since become one of the leading suppliers of Frozen (IQF) herbs, fruit and vegetables in the UK.
A spokesperson for Ardo, said: 'Our primary objective is for the new Ardo to continue to develop as a financially successful business, which invests in the future.
'Our ambition here, which will enable us to achieve this objective, is to expand and further strengthen our already market-leading position in fresh frozen vegetables and fruit, fresh frozen herbs and ingredients, through a dedicated segment-specific approach for retail, foodservice and industrial customers.'
Philippe Haspeslagh will chair the new group's board of directors, while the group, which will be called Aldo, will be run by an executive committee consisting of three members: Jan Haspeslagh as MD, Rik Jacob as CEO, and Bernard Haspeslagh as COO.
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