Naturex on acquisition trail
in a new share placement to fund further acquisitions, it said
yesterday.
The group, which has more than trebled its turnover in four years, says it is looking to make 'two or three' acquisitions, targeting food and nutraceutical ingredients companies present in niche areas or activities in which it is not currently present.
Naturex announced the share placement on the back of full year results that reflected its strong growth momentum. Turnover reached €34.81 million, up 23.7 per cent on the previous year, or 30.5 per cent at a constant exchange rate.
Two thirds of its growth over the last four years has been from organic growth, with the rest coming from two recent acquisitions.
US-based Brucia Plant Extracts gave it access to an important nutraceuticals market and now makes double its initial turnover at $14 million. The rosemary business of Hauser-RFI, acquired in April 2004, pushed the French firm into the world number two position for rosemary extracts and has contributed 6.1 per cent of its earnings growth this year.
The group makes nearly 90 per cent of its earnings from abroad, with more than half from the US and Canada.
In an interview with French paper Les Echos, CEO Jacques Dikansky noted that Asia only accounts for 6 per cent of the firm's current turnover, despite making up a quarter of the world's market.
The company founder revealed that an office in Hong Kong or Singapore is imminent.
