United Biscuits

Yıldız Holding has decided to sell 71.8 million shares of Ülker Bisküvi, Turkey's largest cookie and biscuit company, to its wholly owned unit Pladis as part of a strategy. 

"Yıldız Holding will be the indirect owner of the Ülker Bisküvi shares through Pladis," said the company in a written statement on Dec. 23. 

The sale will represent 21 percent of the company.

Yıldız Holding chair Murat Ülker said that the group, which has grown through a series of key global acquisitions for the last couple of years, will make over 5 billion Turkish Liras ($1.7 billion) in investment in Turkey over the next five years. 

Turkey's leading biscuits and confectionary group, Y?ld?z Holding, has reorganized its global brands, De Met's, Godiva, United Biscuits and Ülker, under the Pladis umbrella, forming a new global giant with annual revenue of $5.2 billion and 26,000 employees.

Ak G?da, the dairy unit of Turkey?s largest food group Y?ld?z Holding, said on March 13 that it had applied to the Capital Markets Board (SPK) for an initial public offering (IPO) of up to 45 percent of the company.

Turkey's largest food group Yıldız Holding, which became the world's largest cookie maker after the acquisition of the U.K.-based cookies and snacks maker United Biscuits in November for $3.2 billion, has recently added vegan products to its manufacturing line, following halal and kosher products.

Turkey’s largest conglomerate Koç Holding has still yet to reach its global targets, the group’s chairman has said, heralding new overseas investment plans, potentially in the Far East.

“As the group, we are not at the place we desire to be at in the global game,” Koç Holding Chairman Mustafa Koç told daily Hürriyet in the South African city of Durban.

Turkey’s Yıldız Holding has said it has acquired U.K.-based cookies and snacks maker United Biscuits from Blackstone Group and PAI Partners, thus becoming the world’s third largest biscuit maker.