Le Duff snaps up Lecoq Cuisine to boost its bakery subsidiary

FRANCE— Groupe Le Duff, a world leader in the bakery café sector has acquired North American speciality pastry maker Lecoq Cuisine through its Bridor bakery subsidiary, a move that emphasizes Le Duff’s focus on accelerating the growth of Bridor.

With a footprint on five continents in more than 100 countries, Bridor has carved a substantial niche in the market for premium frozen bakery and pastries. The acquisition of Lecoq Cuisine aims to boost this growth, and specifically strengthen its production capacities in Canada and the US.

New York-headquartered Lecoq Cuisine was set up in 1991 by chef Eric Lecoq and supplies Viennese and French-style pastries to the foodservice channel

The company has a 250-strong workforce and this year posted US$60 milliion in sales of its famed croissants, Danishes, cinnamon rolls and brioche, sold across the US, but also in Canada and the Caribbean.

Lecoq follows only traditional French recipes and places great emphasis on proprietary manufacturing methods to create quality products. This quest for excellence is shared by Bridor, which continually innovates to develop exciting products made with respect for French baking customs.

Philippe Morin, CEO of Bridor, added, “We could not be more pleased to be able to incorporate Lecoq Cuisine into the Bridor and Le Duff family.

“Eric Lecoq’s unparalleled commitment to excellence, coupled with the individual passion and craft that goes into every product, make us natural partners for each other.”

With its turnover standing at €2.5 billion (US 2.55 billion) in 2022, Le Duff owes its success to its restaurant chains, including Brioche Dorée, Del Arte, Fournil de Pierre, La Madeleine and Kamps, along with subsidiary Bridor, which manufactures bakery and pastry products for some of the world’s most prestigious restaurant and hotel chains.

The deal, for which terms were not disclosed, builds on the transaction Le Duff struck in January for Normandy-based Frial, acquiring the company from US-headquartered investment firm Ares Management. Frial, which supplies foodservice and retail, added to Le Duff’s position in frozen ready meals.

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