'Tönnies in conversation with JBS about the sale of the company'

The owners of Germany's largest pig slaughterhouse Tönnies are currently in talks about a possible sale of the meat group. The Brazilian JBS is mentioned as the main takeover candidate, but a bidder from Asia also has a chance. The acquisition amount could approach €4 billion.

That reports Bloomberg news agency. Also in March of this year there was already talk in the media about a possible imminent sale of Tönnies. At the time, the company would neither deny nor confirm the developments. Although concrete talks are currently being held with two interested companies, sources say it is still possible that the Tönnies family will remain the owner of the company in the future. 

The family business, largely (45%) in the hands of cousins ​​Clemens and Robert Tönnies, wants to make a decision this summer about which steps will be taken. Clemens Tönnies is always the most prominent and is also known in Germany as 'Sausage King' or 'Cuttle Emperor'. 

Criticism about corona
Tönnies is one of Europe's largest meat processors and slaughtered about 2020 million pigs in 20,8, of which 16,3 million in Germany. Last year's turnover amounted to more than €7 billion, which was a fraction lower than in 2019. The company received a lot of criticism last year due to a major corona outbreak at 1 of its production locations. As a result, the company's slaughterhouse in Rheda-Wiedenbrück was shut down for a while or operated at a reduced capacity.

The Brazilian JBS is the largest meat producer in the world with an annual turnover of €43 billion. The group has already made acquisitions in the United Kingdom and Australia this year. JBS is also active in the meat substitutes market and recently bought the Dutch company Vivera.

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