Bell Food Group, headquartered in Basle, Switzerland, has recently announced the establishment of its international poultry operation as a standalone business entity.
This decision to restructure the organization was made following the latest Annual General Meeting of Bell Food Group.
One of the significant changes is the separation of the international poultry division — previously part of the Bell International division — into its own independent business unit, known as the Hubers/Sütag division.
Additionally, the group’s remaining businesses will now be organized by country under the international division.
These structural changes were implemented following earlier announcements about alterations to the Board, as stated by Joos Sutter, the Chair of the Board of Directors.
After leading the company for 13 years, current CEO Lorenz Wyss is set to retire in June of this year.
Starting next month, Marco Tschanz will assume the position of CEO of Bell Food Group, Bell Switzerland, and Hubers/Sütag. Mike Häfeli and Martin Schygulla will be taking over the management of Eisberg and Bell International, respectively — businesses previously overseen by Tschanz.
Performance and business development in 2023
Despite facing challenges in the market, Bell Food Group reported growth and increased market share in its latest annual report for the year ending in December 2023.
During that period, the company’s net revenue rose by over 5% year-on-year to 4.5 billion Swiss francs (CHF; US$4.97 billion). Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) reached CHF164.7 million, reflecting a 1.1% increase from the previous year, and annual profit rose by 1.4% to CHF129.6 million.
Bell Food Group attributed this positive performance to the contributions from all of its business units.
In 2023, the company’s largest business sector by net revenue was convenience foods (28%), followed by poultry (24%), fresh meat and charcuterie (each at 21%), and seafood (5%).
Retail emerged as the primary sales channel for the group, accounting for 71% of net revenue, with food-service making up the remaining 29%.
Overall, Bell Food Group offers a wide range of 20,000 different products, positioning itself as one of the largest producers of organic poultry in Europe.
Bell Switzerland was the top contributor to the total net revenue in 2023 at 48%, followed by Bell International (24%), Hilcona (12%), Hügeli (9%), and Eisberg (7%).
In its domestic market, Bell Switzerland operates multiple facilities where they produce various meat, poultry, charcuterie, and seafood products.
Within the Bell International division, Bell Germany, Bell Western/Eastern Europe, and the Hubers/Sütag divisions are key players. Bell Germany specializes in air-dried ham products with production facilities in Germany and Spain. Bell Western/Eastern Europe operates meat processing facilities in France and Poland. The Hubers/Sütag division focuses on poultry businesses in Austria and Germany, as well as turkey processing in Germany.
The company also engages in non-meat operations through Eisberg (offering convenience salads, fruit, and vegetables), Hilcona (providing fresh convenience products under its brand), and Green Mountain (offering vegetarian and vegan meat alternatives).
By the end of 2023, Bell Food Group’s workforce stood at around 13,000 employees operating across 65 locations in 15 different countries.
More on Bell Food Group
Bell Group’s annual slaughterings of over 25 million chickens have secured its position as one of the leading poultry companies in Europe, as indicated by the Top Poultry Companies survey on WATTPoultry.com. This also makes it the largest producer in the Swiss market.
