Danish Crown merger creates pigmeat giant

Headnote

Tulip parent forms alliance with rival Steff-Houlberg to boost overseas clout

Danish Crown is planning to merge with rival co-op Steff-- Houlberg, creating a meat company with a 10% share of the EU's fragmented pigmeat sector.

The groups are both focused on overseas markets and their combined export sales will be DKr29bn - equal to 8% of all Danish exports.

By concentrating sales efforts, the new group hopes to reduce costs and so raise competitiveness in overseas pork markets.

It is unclear what impact the merger will have on...