The Norwegian food giant Orkla will be merging Sweden’s leading tuna brand, Abba Seafood, with the food and drink company, Procordia, in a bid to become more competitive in the Swedish market. About 30 Abba Seafood staff will lose their jobs at the company’s headquarters in Gothenburg, while approximately 30 employees will be offered positions at the new company, which will be based in Eslöv where Procordia is presently located. Both companies are owned by Orkla for some time.
The new company is expected to have a turnover of about SEK 4.5 billion (USD 696.9 million) and over 1,300 employees. The company will be operational from April 2 and will be headed by Patrik Andersson, current CEO of Procordia.
In December, Johan Sundelin, the former head of Abba Seafood, resigned with plans to leave his office in April 2013 for the top position at a cake company.
Abba Seafood’s products will continue to be manufactured at its factory in Kungshamn. The activities of the company’s main raw material facility in Kungshamn and its central warehouse in Uddevalle will also remain the same.
Abba Seafood mostly sells tongol tuna under its premium Abba brand, but it also has sales from private labels. In 2009, it was recognized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) with a “Green Fish†award for promoting sustainable products.
Orkla is the leading branded consumer goods company in the Nordic region. At present, Orkla operates in the branded consumer goods, aluminium solutions and financial investment sectors. The company’s strategic focus is on growth in its branded consumer goods operations. The Group has 30 000 employees in more than 40 countries and a turnover of NOK 61 billion.
