LDC | Introduction
Introduction
Zone Industrielle Saint Laurent
Sablé sur Sarthe
F-72300
France
Telephone: (+33) 2 43 62 70 00
Fax: (+33) 2 43 92 34 18
Web site: http://www.ldc.fr
Public Company
Incorporated: 1869
Employees: 10,000
Sales: EUR 1.49 billion ($1.86 billion) (2004)
Stock Exchanges: Euronext Paris
Ticker Symbol: LOUP
NAIC: 311615 Poultry Processing; 311612 Meat Processed From Carcasses; 311412 Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing; 311611 Animal (Except Poultry) Slaughtering
LDC is now Europe's leading poultry processor after edging out fellow French rival Doux Père Dodu in 2004. Moreover, LDC has long held the leading position in France's poultry market, slaughtering more than 500,000 tons of chicken, turkey, and duck, as well as rabbit, per week. LDC markets poultry products under a number of brand names, including national brands Loué and Le Gaulois and regional brands Bourgogne, Bretagne, Landes, Ardèche, Normandie, Gascogne, which reflect the group's nationally operating network of slaughtering and processing facilities. Since the 1990s, LDC has extended its operations to include a variety of prepared foods and is the fifth-largest company of this kind in France. In this segment, the company produces pizza, deli meats, sauces, ready-made sandwiches and snacks, and cooked dishes. These products are distributed through its own range of brands, including Loué and Le Gaulois, as well as under private label and distributor brands. The company is also one of France's leading producers of prepared ethnic foods, notably Chinese-style food products under the Chip Long brand. Long focused on France, LDC has begun extending its successful growth strategy to the international market, focused for a start on Spain and Poland. The company also has two production partnerships in China. Altogether, the company operates 28 production sites supplied by more than 6,000 poultry farmer partners. In 2004, international sales already represented some 16 percent of the group's nearly EUR 1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) in sales. LDC is led by Denis Lambert, son of the company's founder. The Lamberts remained the publicly listed company's largest shareholder, with nearly 42 percent of shares.