Italian confectioner Ferrero plans to buy Delacre

Italian confectioner Ferrero has made a bid to purchase Belgian biscuit manufacturer Delacre.

Delacre is owned by Pladis, a unit of Turkish-based food company Yildiz Holding that owns 160 brands and exports around 2,700 products to more than 100 countries.

In an internal communiqué, Ferrero stated: "This is an opportunity to establish ourselves in a market where we are not yet present and has a significant growth potential."

According to Italian daily La Stampa, financial details of the transaction were not divulged.

In July, Yildiz announced its intention to list Pladis in London stock exchange by 2020, whilst holding a majority stake, reported Domain-b.com.

Delacre was first established in 1891 and manufactures pastry biscuits under brands such as Marquisette and Biarritz.

British group United Biscuits acquired Delacre in 1998. United Biscuits was in turn acquired by Yildiz Holding in 2014.

Delacre has two production facilities, one based at Lambermont in Belgium and the other at Nieppe in France.

It has around 300 employees and reported a turnover of €120m in fiscal 2015.