BOCM PAULS has started a rebranding process that will see the company trade as ForFarmers in the UK, writes Pig World editor Graeme Kirk.
The move comes two years after Dutch-based ForFarmers bought BOCM PAULS to extend its operations across the English Channel.
ForFarmers is a European market leader in conventional and organic feed solutions for the animal husbandry sector. Operating in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the UK, its annual feed production is approximately 8.6 million tonnes, and turnover last year was more than £2.04 billion. The UK Market is repsonsible for about 32% of sales.
All stationery will be changed from BOCM PAULS to ForFarmers immediately, and new signage for the firms’ premises is also a priority. The company’s truck fleet will be one of the most visible signs of the change on the UK’s roads, with a new livery making an appearance during the next six months. All new trucks will feature the new livery, and it will also be applied to newer members of the current fleet. However, any truck earmarked for disposal within the next three years will retain the BOCM PAULS signwriting.
BOCM PAULS’ chief executive Iain Gardner, who now takes on the same role at FarFarmers UK Ltd, said customers wouldn’t see any change to how the company operates.
“They’ll be using the same telephone numbers to order feed, and the same product specialists will be coming down the drive,” he said.
“While some may regard the rebranding of BOCM PAULS as the end of an era, in reality it simply represents the next step in the history of a company that has evolved continuously for more than 100 years in response to changing market conditions and customer requirements.
“The consolidation that we have seen in the food and farming sectors over the years is accelerating rapidly,” he added. “For example, since July 2012 we have acquired Dairy Direct, HST Feeds and Wheyfeed. ForFarmers history is firmly rooted in the agricultural sector and as part of a strong international business we are in the best possible position going forward.”
Yoram Knoop, who was appointed chief executive chairman of the ForFarmers Group in January this year said the company’s strategy was to provide customers with products based on optimal nutritional expertise through a combination of growth, increasing scale and international expansion.
“Our efforts are entirely focused towards helping customers to improve their returns,” he added. “We do this by providing them with best-in-class nutritional solutions, specialist expertise and world-class technical advice to promote faster animal growth rates, make more efficient use of feed, improve animal health, as well as minimising agriculture’s impact on the environment. We are investing in the long-term future of the business and our goal is to further expand our ‘Total Feed’ concept to further encourage the sustainable production of dairy, meat and eggs.”
“The announcement that BOCM PAULS is now know as ForFarmers is part of our ‘One ForFarmers’ strategy that aims to intensify cooperation within the group, realise a more uniform way of working and focus products and innovations on the markets in which we operate.
“ForFarmers will become the name for our entire organisation, but it’s more than just a change of brand name. It concerns all aspects of the organisation and has one objective: to optimise the potential of all the ForFarmers businesses and create one international, strong company and brand.”
Similar rebranding exercises will soon begin across Europe where many of ForFarmers’ other aquisitions also have legacy names.