SAVEL Group accelerates its development and opens its capital to UNEXO and Unigrains

UNEXO and Unigrains will support the family-owned poultry specialist in its organic and external growth as well as its diversification into prepared foods

Lannilis, France, November 12^th, 2024 – SAVEL Group, a family-owned company specialized in niche poultry species, has opened its capital to UNEXO CREDIT AGRICOLE and Unigrains, on an equal basis. This transaction, accretive for Marc Léon, President, aims to accelerate the development of the Group through organic and external growth as well as its diversification into prepared foods. This transaction is also supported by a pool of regional banks piloted by Crédit Agricole du Finistère.

Founded in 1968 and based in Lannilis, in France’s Finistère department, SAVEL Group is a French leader in the preparation and the distribution of niche poultry species including cockerel, guinea fowl and slow-grown yellow chicken. Two external growth operations – La Toque Bretonne and Béziau – completed in 2023 and 2024 respectively, enabled the Group to also position itself in the turkey market. A historic operator in the West of France, SAVEL Group relies on a network of 150 exclusive poultry farmers located in close proximity to its 5 production facilities. SAVEL Group mainly distributes its products via the out-of-home catering channel and benefits from solid expertise in export markets.

Under the leadership of Marc Léon, President, and Éric Lefeuvre, CEO, SAVEL Group has 470 employees and sales of over 150 million euros.

While Marc Léon strengthens his stake and the family shareholders retain a large majority, this first opening of the capital comes at a moment when SAVEL Group seeks to capitalize on its position in niche species and continue its growth with a focus on completing its product range, gaining expertise in secondary transformation, optimizing logistics and reaching new customers.

In all these projects, SAVEL Group will be supported by a tandem of recognized and complementary investors: UNEXO CREDIT AGRICOLE, a leading private equity player in France’s Grand Ouest region, and Unigrains, an agri-food sector specialist. Together, they will mobilize their expertise and their respective networks in service of the company’s growth projects.

Marc Léon, President of SAVEL, declared: “We are delighted to welcome UNEXO and Unigrains as strategic partners in our capital. Their support and understanding of our challenges will enable us to accelerate our development while remaining true to our family values.”

Maryan Deroo, Investment Director with UNEXO, declared: “We are pleased to support SAVEL Group, a regionally anchored family-owned company with longstanding ties to Crédit Agricole du Finistère, in its growth trajectory. The strategic vision of the Management team and the Group’s strong position, all across the value chain, support the development of its sector and make SAVEL Group a key player in the regional economy.”

Nicolas Mulle, Investment Director with Unigrains, declared: “SAVEL Group has successfully differentiated itself in the highly competitive poultry segment thanks to its positioning in specialty niche species. For Unigrains, this investment is about supporting the growth of a key player – both upstream and downstream – led by a recognized and high-quality management team.”