Regulator clears Yew Tree Dairy acquisition by Müller

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has cleared the anticipated acquisition by Muller Dairy (UK) Limited of Yew Tree Dairy Holdings Limited, based in Skelmersdale, West Lancashire.

Due to complete by the end of October, the acquisition, announced in June, will see Müller use Yew Tree Dairy’s milk powder production capabilities to grow its export business and drive supply chain resilience.

The CMA, which launched the merger inquiry in August, approved the deal on Tuesday, following its phase 1 initial investigation.

Once the acquisition is completed, Müller said it intends to utilise internal expertise from across Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller to enhance its milk drying capability, enabling it to become a major producer and exporter of powdered milk products made in Britain, with milk from British dairy farms.

“This acquisition will drive significant progress towards Müller Milk & Ingredients’ purpose to deliver a better dairy future. The British dairy industry is world-renowned for its approach to sustainability, quality and welfare and so, not only does this acquisition underline our ambition to grow our business, but also a commitment to ensuring our customers, farmers and consumers will all feel the benefit,” Rob Hutchison, chief executive at Müller Milk & Ingredients, said.

“We’re excited to welcome our new colleagues from Yew Tree Dairy to Müller, and I look forward to meeting them all in the coming weeks and opening a new chapter for both businesses and the wider supply chain.”

Carl Woodcock from Yew Tree Dairy said: “As a family-owned and operated company, we’re very proud of the progress we’ve made and the organisation we have built over the last few decades. As it’s now time for us to move on to new opportunities, we know we leave the business in good hands with Rob and the rest of the team from Müller.

“It was important for us to hand over the reins to people who’d look after the business with the same care and consideration as we have over the years, and we’re confident that the values and goals we’ve seen from the Müller family are similar to our own.

“Joining Müller will help Yew Tree Dairy go from strength to strength, benefitting our staff, farmers and customers and creating a strong and successful future for the British dairy industry.”