Europastry: Internationalisation

Europastry was the leader in the Spanish and Portuguese markets of frozen part-baked dough for bread and pastry. After growing between 1996 and 2008 at an average yearly rate of 15%, market growth fell to a 2,2% average rate since 2008 due to market maturation. Confronted with this situation, Europastry defined internationalisation as a strategic priority, exploring different opportunities. The efforts so far had taken the international sales to 12% of the total, but the company thought it was necessary to rise it further to 25% or 30%. In January 2012, the opportunity to acquire Panibel arises, a Belgian manufacturer, with good industrial facilities, and Europastry’s management must decide whether to present an offer or not. This decision requires a thorough definition of the company’s internationalisation strategy.