Arla is acquiring a majority share in the Swedish company, Kronost, which imports and sells speciality cheese.

At the same time, Kronost will become part of the wholly owned Arla subsidiary, Delimo, which also imports and sells speciality cheese. The aim is to further strengthen sales of speciality cheese in Sweden.

The deal has involved the sale by Arla Foods Sweden of its 25% stake in Kronost to Delimo with effect from June 1. Since Delimo has acquired a further 26% of Kronost’s share capital, the company now has a controlling interest of 51%. The deal is currently being examined by the Swedish competition authorities.

Kronost will continue to operate in the Swedish market while Delimo will maintain its activities in the Danish and Norwegian markets. The aim is for the company to become Scandinavia’s leading importer and distributor of dessert and speciality cheeses. Arla Foods also owns the UK’s largest importer of speciality cheese, HT Webb.