SanLucar expands presence in France

SanLucar has acquired a major stake in the French import-export company Buonanno as part of its strategy to expand its presence in that country.

With over 50 years of experience, Buonanno specialises in vegetable products such as aubergines, peppers, and courgettes and also offers a wide range of fresh products including lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes.

Armin Rehberg, CEO of SanLucar, commented: “Thanks to Buonanno’s warehouse and its experienced team in France, this new strategic alliance enables us to establish a physical presence in the country, specifically in Perpignan.

“The SanLucar premium brand products and concepts will therefore expand in the French market, as well as increasing its business with the local retailers under their own brands. SanLucar’s entire international production range will be available for the French market. On top of that, we will use the Buonanno cross-docking platform for our French production and for our southern business to other countries”.

The project will be locally led by Fabien Lefebvre as business development director France and general manager of Buonanno and supported by SanLucar’s international markets team at the company’s Valencia headquarters. Phillip Arroyo will stay on as president of Buonanno during a transition phase until the end of the year.

“We are excited about the opportunities this collaboration will bring and are confident that it will strengthen our position in the European market and will be a part of achieving our ambitious growth goals,” Rehberg continued.

“With this acquisition and strategic logistics hub, we are laying the foundation for continued growth in a key European market. This new cross-docking platform gives us the opportunity to be less than one day away from Spain, Portugal, and Italy, two days from Morocco, and we are able to deliver anywhere in France in less than 24 hours.”

The new hub is already certified with all the necessary standards, such as IFS, Ecocert, and GlobalGAP.